Sins of the Father
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: Sequel to The Evil We Must Face In Ourselves and the third part of my Greendale superhero trilogy. As Annie struggles to adapt to having super strength Jeff's father William reappears with a plan to destroy them all.
1. Prologue

**This is the sequel to my previous superhero story The Evil We Must Face In Ourselves, and is the third part of my Greendale Superhero trilogy. Like the first story A City In Need Of Saving and the second story it is very dark and is rated a Hard T. **

**This story takes place one month after the events of The Evil We Must Face In Ourselves. There are a number of flashbacks within the story, which are indicated when long passages are in italics. Flashbacks before the dimensional splitting (referring to alternate universes being formed in the actual Community episode "Remedial Chaos Theory") have indicators of which year they take place in. Flashbacks taking place after the dimensional splitting do not have indicating years. To try and help things be kept straight I've made a brief event timeline: **

**10 years ago=the seven different universes are formed. 8 years ago=the study group graduates from Greendale. 6 years ago=Shirley's boys and Andre are killed by a car bomb. 4 and a half years ago=Shirley becomes pregnant with Aaron, Shirley and Abed get married and they both retire from crime fighting. 2 years ago=Pierce is killed by Chang's twin brother Bernard, aka El Tigre. 1 year and two months ago=Troy is beaten into a coma and Jeff breaks up with Annie to protect her. 10 months ago=the events of A City In Need Of Saving. 1 months ago=the events of The Evil We Must Face In Ourselves. **

**I in no way own the wonderful show Community or any of its amazing characters. **

**Dedicated to MEGGEM, for inspiring me to take my first story and turn it into a trilogy. And to Wicked18writer, for inspiring a key plot point in this story. **

_Greendale, 1964. _

_William Winger screamed as he smashed another chair to bits. After months, after years of work, the Osbourne book had slipped through his fingers. He thought he had had everything under control. And then that bastard Hopswagger had to ruin everything. _

"_I told you not to underestimate him." _

_He glared at the crystal ball sitting on the table, which currently held the spirit of his ancestor and mentor Christof Winger. As the smoke in the glass formed into Christof's former earthly face William longed to smash the ball to bits. While he had once revered him as a great mentor William now only saw him as a nuisance. _

"_I don't want to hear it Christof." _

"_You've continually ignored my warnings and look where it's gotten you. I told you not to mock Hopswagger and you never listened to me. It's your own fault he found out your plan and thwarted you." _

_Hopswagger, William thought. The constant annoyance in his goals. The grad student had been training to be an occult expert and was working as Nathanael Osbourne's apprentice. The two of them had hated each other from the moment they met. William admitted that he received great pleasure in constantly pointing out that while he was only a teenager, he and Osbourne were true partners while Hopswagger was just an assistant. It would seem his arrogance in the matter finally caught up with him. _

_William tried to control his anger as he thought back to all the work he had done and how it had all been lost. _

_After learning about Nathanael Osbourne's family history into the occult William arranging to specifically be placed in Osbourne's ninth grade social studies class. Not long after the school year began he approached the teacher and brought up his interest in the occult. Though he was only a teenager Osbourne had been impressed with his knowledge and they started collaborating on study and magical practices. Over the next few years the spells and dark rituals they practiced grew bolder and more complex. Osbourne was impressed with his insight and brought him on board to what had been their life's work; to obtain godlike powers through the splitting of the universe. _

_But what Osbourne didn't know was that splitting the universe and obtaining otherworldly powers was only half of William's endgame. His other interest lay in Osbourne's book. For generations Osbourne's family had kept a book of spells and research, a kind of dark magick version of a book of shadows. The information within that book was priceless, and William wanted that knowledge for himself. With that book and the dimensional powers he would be truly invincible. But to get the book he had to keep close to Osbourne and help him with his goal of splitting the universe._

_Finally, when William was nineteen, they had figured out how to make the conduit that would allow the splitting to occur. In doing so they discovered that those who created the conduit would not have other versions of themselves when the universe split and could only gain the power for themselves if they took it from someone else who obtained all six abilities. But as William explained to Osbourne this was of little concern. Once they split the universe and divided the power they could convince someone to kill their other selves and obtain it before they stole them for themselves. Osbourne agreed that it would not be a problem, not knowing that once the conduit was created and the universe split William would kill Osbourne and take his book._

_But what William didn't plan on was Hopswagger figuring out his plan and telling it to Osbourne. Looking back he was impressed that Osbourne was able to keep him in the dark as they performed the steps to create the conduit. It was only after they performed the final step, the sacrifice of a non baptized child, that William discovered that Osbourne knew of his plan and had conspired with Hopswagger to have the book hidden. _

_Christof chuckled as William seethed in anger. "You thought if you had Osbourne arrested for that murder you'd be free to find the book yourself. But you didn't count on him placing a spell on the book to make it untraceable to you. And now because of your ignorance he's dead and you'll never find it." _

_William grabbed the glass ball and shook it violently. "Ignorant you call me? Look at me. I've performed more magical feats so far in my nineteen years then you ever did in your entire lifetime. I brought you back into the world of the living." _

"_Oh yes, this is such a good way to spend my existence." _

"_Don't tempt me. I'll exorcise you so you're very soul is destroyed. You won't exist at all." _

_Christof looked at him with utter disconcern. "If I had to choose between not existing and swirling in a crystal ball, I'd choose oblivion." _

_Slamming the ball down William grabbed his potion ingredients and began mixing. The only hint he had in finding the book was that somehow its reemergence was linked to reality being split into seven different universes. That event had to happen in order for the book to be found. And even though the dice was now lost it was still fated to eventually be used. He just had to know when that would be. _

_Once it was done he poured it on the table. The white mixture moved like sand being blown in the desert. "How long will it be until the dimensional dice is used?" The mixture moved and shifted until two numbers took shape, a four next to a seven. _

_William backed up in shock. It would be forty seven years until the dice was used. But while he gritted his teeth in annoyance he accepted when he was told. The universe ran on its own schedule. And while you could change events to suit your needs, you still had to play by the universe's rules. So while it frustrated him to know that it would ultimately take forty seven years for the dice to be used and alternate versions of the universe to form, he accepted it._

_In his studies he knew that everything was connected, and that an outcome, no matter how significant it was, could always be traced back to a specific root. He knew the root event that would lead to the universe to split would not be revealed to him now (the universe never revealed events in time too early). But he could find out when in time it would be revealed to him. "How long do I have to wait until I know the event that will lead to the universes being split?" The potion swirled until again two numbers formed, a two and a five. _

"_So I'll have to wait twenty five years to find out? So be it." Without hesitation, as if he had planned it all along, he grabbed the crystal ball and smashed it to bits. Christof Winger looked at William in pity before his spirit disappeared back to the afterlife. William had grown beyond the need for a mentor, living or dead. He was better off on his own. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Greendale: September 17__th__, 1989. _

_William Winger practically shook with excitement as he stirred the last of the position ingredients together. After twenty five years of waiting he would finally be able to see the event that would lead to the creation of alternate universes, which would lead to getting Osbourne's book and becoming a god. _

_Today was a very important day, William thought. For he knew that whatever the event was it would occur exactly twenty years from today. The time sand potion had revealed that much. Now he just had to know what would happen in addition to when it would happen. _

_As the potion settled he dipped a brush in it and painted it along the smooth surface of the table. The table shimmed and swirled with color before images formed on it, moving like they would on a foggy television. _

_Seven people were sitting around a wooden table in a university library. Immediately William recognized one of them as his son Jeffrey. Though he was a grown man in this scene William was still able to recognize him. Jeffrey was talking to a disgruntled blond haired woman, clearly trying to get her to go out with him. He didn't seem to possess his father's charm as his conquest seemed unimpressed with his advances._

_As he looked at him William felt angry that his son would be involved in this. The boy had been a severe disappointment to William. While at first he believed the boy had potential to be an heir to his knowledge, he came to realize that wasn't the case. The boy had a spark of righteousness in him that couldn't be gotten rid of. William had tried to destroy it through beating the boy and verbally abusing him, but all he did was bury it instead of eradicating it. While William sensed that the boy could be devious and manipulative, the decency inside of him would lay dormant and could eventually be brought to the surface by something, or someone. _

_The only other person William recognized in this scene was Pierce Hawthorne, CEO of the Hawthorne Wipes moist towelette corporation. Though he was much older William was able to immediately recognize the prominent Greendale figure. The man was arguing with a younger black woman with frizzy hair. She was yelling loudly at him while he made odd gestures with his hands. _

_Two more of the seven people were arguing. One of them was a young black man who looked like he could be either high school or college age (the letterman jacket he wore made it much harder to distinguish.) He was yelling at a wide eyed girl in a green sweater who looked to be about the same age as him. Despite her petite frame she seemed to be holding her own in the argument. _

_The last person there was a tall thin young man of Middle Eastern decent. While his face was expressionless his eyes seemed to hold a great understanding within them. He kept looking at everyone around the table like he was watching a movie or a play. _

_Even though William couldn't figure out how seven people arguing in a room would lead to multiple universes being formed he wasn't disputing that this event couldn't lead to it occurring. He knew enough to realize that time had a ripple effect to it. A seemingly small occurrence could lead to a huge significant development. A child getting a 100 on a test in first grade could lead to him becoming President years later. _

_He took a handful of fate powder and threw it on the table, hoping it turned white and meant that nothing had to be done. He groaned in frustration when instead it turned red. This meant the event he was seeing would not occur naturally and he would have to manipulate events if it was to happen. _

_He waved his hand over the table and the potion shimmed as images formed on it, showing him exactly what needed to happen in each of these people's lives to get them to that moment. William watched it hungrily, taking in everything he was seeing and memorizing exactly what he needed to do. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Hawthorne Plaza, July 1998. _

_Pierce Hawthorne fidgeted uncomfortably as he sat at the desk in his office. He knew he should be feeling happy right now. Hawthorne Wipes had just absorbed Handy Towels, their largest competitor in the moist towelette business. The business deal not only secured the future of his company, but had made the already wealthy man more money than he could possibly spend in a lifetime. This should be the proudest moment in his life. But instead all he felt was restless and irritated. _

"_Mr. Hawthorne." Pierce looked up as a well dressed man walked into his office. "Good afternoon. I was sent over from Handy Towels to have you sign the final contracts for the absorption." _

"_I thought all the contracts were signed at the business meeting this morning?" _

"_All the major ones were. These were just a couple of last minute minor ones." _

_He handed the contracts to Pierce and waited while they were signed. "Congratulations sir. Not only are you now the premier supplier of moist towelettes in the country, but your fortune has now expended to such that your family will be financially secure for generations to come. You must be very happy." _

"_Happy, sure." Pierce said as he tried to hide the feeling of 'where do I go from here?' from the stranger._

"_I mean, you can do anything you want. You can travel. You can sail around the world. Anything. Although if I may give a helpful suggestion, I would say you take a few classes somewhere and further your education. My grandfather, rest his soul, retired at age 71 and rather then sit around he decided to go back to school. He found that continually educating himself kept his mind sharp. He died last year at 88 and no exaggeration; he was more with it then people half his age. It's just my opinion, but I think keeping your mind challenged is the secret to keeping young. Well, I really do have to go. Take care of yourself Mr. Hawthorne." _

_As William walked out of the room he looked at Pierce out of the corner of his eye. The man was deep in thought, contemplating what he had just heard. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX _

_Cutler Family Practice, October 2008. _

_William adjusted his lab coat as he took one last quick look in the mirror. He had used various potions to alter his appearance. His nose was wider, along with his jaw and chin. His eyes were brown instead of blue and his eyebrows were extremely bushy. Satisfied that he was unrecognizable with his temporary appearance he left the office and walked to the exam room. _

_The exam room door had been left open a crack, so he peered in to look at the girl sitting on the exam table. While it was definitely Annie Edison she looked different from when he saw her in the future vision. She was heavier, her hair was much shorter, her face was covered in acne, and she was drawn into herself as if she expected the very air to pass judgment on her. He smiled as he saw her. This is going to be easy, he thought. _

_He pulled her chart from the wall as he walked into the room. "Hello, I'm Dr. Fulkner. I'll be examining you today." _

_She looked at him inquisitively. "Where's my regular doctor?" _

"_He was called into the hospital for an emergency surgery, so I'm filling in for him today. What seems to be the problem?" _

"_I've been having stomach pains. They started last week but they've been really bad the last two days." _

"_Well let's take a look." He pulled out a stethoscope and performed a quick examination. "It doesn't appear that you have appendicitis or anything life threatening. It might be a result of stress. Can you think of anything that would be causing you stress?" _

"_My life." She quickly looked up at him before casting her eyes down. "Well, there's my face." _

_William searched through a drawer and pulled out a tube of medicated face cleanser. "Here you go. This astringent should help with your acne. Although you do have a pretty bad case. You might want to think about making an appointment with a dermatologist. Now, is there anything else that's causing you stress?" _

_She fidgeted a little before answering. "There's school. I want to graduate valedictorian and go to an Ivy League college next fall, like Princeton. But no matter what I do I can't keep up with the amount of work I have to do to raise my GPA." _

_William carefully listened to her when he 'pretended' to suddenly get an idea. "I think I may have something that can help." He took out a prescription pad and wrote her a prescription. "This is a prescription for Adderall. It's a pill that helps you concentrate and stay focused and energized. You take this and you'll be able to stay up all night studying and be refreshed for the test in the morning." _

"_Really?" Annie's eyes shined with hope before she frowned. "I don't know. Are you sure it's safe to take?" _

"_It's perfectly safe. I've prescribed it to many students and it's helped them with their studying. Just try it and if you don't like it just stop taking it. And I'll leave a note for Dr. Cutler so if you do decide to take it he can write you another prescription if you need it. Well, I have another patient to see. It was nice meeting you Ms. Edison." _

_With that William left the exam room, leaving Annie holding the prescription as if it were a lifeline. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX _

_Riverside High, February 2009. _

_William zipped up his track suit jacket as he walked out onto the football field. He had taken great care this time with his change in appearance and persona (that of a stereotypically grizzled coach.) Unlike his other alterations this one would take more than a single encounter to get the needed results._

_As he surveyed the players he blew his whistle and called them all over. "Ok people, listen up! My name is Coach Payne. Your regular couch had some personal matters to take care of so I'll be your coach for the next few weeks. I run a tight ship and am very hard on my players. But I have also led school teams to championships for the last twelve years. So while my methods may not be popular, they get results. Now, who here is the QB?" _

_The crowd of players made room as Troy Barnes stepped forward and raised his hand. "Me, I'm quarterback. Troy Barnes." _

"_Barnes! Give me twenty laps around the field, ten running forwards and then ten running backwards. Everyone else do eight laps forwards and eight laps backwards. MOVE OUT!_

_Over the next two weeks he pushed all the players extremely hard. But none harder then Troy. He had him do more runs than anyone, more practice drills than anyone else. Anytime Troy came close to complaining he yelled that the Quarter Back was the most important player and had to work harder to lead the team to victory. If the quarter back messes up the whole team messes up, he yelled. He secretly smiled as he watched Troy push himself, confident that the kid was reaching his breaking point. _

_Finally the day William had been waiting for arrived. After practice he released the team, telling them to be back early the next day to get in a quick practice before the big game. As the players left he called Troy over to him. _

_Once everyone was gone he spoke to the boy. "Listen Barnes, a talent scout is coming to watch tomorrow's game. This can decide your entire future. Way I see it tomorrow can go down one of two ways. You can play a fantastic game, impress the hell out of that scout, get a full scholarship, and be set for life. Or you can choke, let everyone down and spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been." _

_Troy paled as the weight of tomorrow's game came to rest on his shoulders. "Tomorrow's game is really that important?" _

"_Yes Barnes! Your entire future rides on tomorrow! Now listen, I want you to go home and get a good night sleep. Don't go staying up all night partying and losing focus. Last thing we need is you getting drunk and hurting yourself. Now get out of here." _

_With one last look of worry Troy walked into the locker room. William smiled; confident that after tonight Troy would not be playing in tomorrow's game. Or any game for that matter. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX _

_Tops A Dropping strip club, April 2009. _

_William nursed his glass of scotch as he surveyed the crowd in the club, waiting for the man he was looking for to show up. For the past three nights Andre Bennett had been coming to this strip club. According to the bartender he wasn't a regular. But that was evident from the way he acted. He clearly didn't act like a normal rowdy customer. Hell, he actually handed the strippers dollar bills instead of stuffing them in their g-string. Andre's routine was always the same. He'd get a beer and quietly sit near the stage as he watched the dancers, paying particular attention to one flirtatious long necked dancer. Once his beer was done he would quietly leave. Same routine each and every night. _

_Finally William spotted Andre walk in. As always he looked out of place, particularly with the Cosby style sweater he was wearing. William waited until Andre got his beer and took his usual seat before casually sitting next to him. _

"_Want a drink?" _

_Andre looked over at William. "What?" _

"_I'm in a generous mood tonight, so I was offering to buy you a drink." _

_Andre gave him an odd look before tilting his beer upwards. "I'm good thanks. I just wanted one beer." _

"_Suit yourself." He waited while Andre watched the women dance until the long necked dancer came on stage. "Boy these women are beautiful. And with the right persuasion I'm sure they'll take you to the back for a bit of fun." _

"_They're strippers, not hookers. And even so it doesn't matter. I'm married." Andre said as he held up his hand to show off his wedding band. _

"_I'm not passing judgment, I was once married to. It's just; you look like the type of man who's here for a reason. You seem like you're here because you're not getting something you need at home." _

_Andre looked like he was going to protest so William barreled on. "I was married for twenty years, and only a few of them were happy years. I never thought I'd cheat, but one day it just happened. And the thing I discovered is that ultimately it wasn't the sex that had me do it. Even if we're not getting any from our wives all we need is our hand and a tube of KY. What I missed was the closeness, the feeling that someone needed and appreciated me. Even if it was artificial and only for one night, I realized that I couldn't go on feeling empty and controlled anymore. I needed a release." _

_He got up as Andre silently stared at him. "That's just my opinion. Take it or leave it. Have a good night friend." Without another word he walked through the club. As he got to the entrance he looked back at Andre. The man was idly cradling his beer as he stared up at the long necked dancer. William smiled in victory as he walked out of the club. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_We Know Footwear magazine photography studio, New York City, May 2009._

"_Ok, now just tilt your foot up a little towards the light. Little more so the anklet is, perfect. Just hold it like that." He took a dozen pictures in rapid fire secession. "Very good. And we're done Ms. Perry." _

_William started putting the photograph equipment away as Britta Perry took off the anklet and put on her socks and boots. "It was a pleasure working with you Ms. Perry. You have very lovely feet." _

"_Thanks" she dully said. _

_As he finished packing up the equipment he went over to her. "So, what do you do?" _

"_What do you mean?" _

"_Well, in my experience people who model rarely do exclusively just that. What do you do with your life Ms. Perry?" _

"_Um, well, I was with the peace corps for a while. I spent some time in Africa. I was in Amsterdam for a while." _

"_Sounds interesting. What about now?" _

"_Well, I'm…" she stopped as she suddenly realized how directionless her life had become. "I don't know. How's that for an answer." She sighed deeply as she rubbed her eyes in frustration. "I was thinking about going back to Colorado. That's where I'm from, Greendale Colorado." _

_He smiled gently at her. "It's important to have a place you can call home. More importantly it's important to have at least some sense of direction and purpose in your life. After high school I followed this girl to Sweden and after we broke up I traveled around Europe finding any work I could. After doing that for nineteen years I finally hated having no focus in my life. So I went back to school and took some classes and ended up turning a interest in photography into a career. You're young and clearly have lots of interests. I'm sure with the right motivation you'll find what you're meant to do with your life." _

_She looked at him, not sure if she should tell him off for butting into her life, or thank him for showing general concern for the aimlessness her life had become. As she walked out of the studio she figured it wouldn't hurt to go on-line and check out schools in Greendale and what it would take to get her GED when she got back to her apartment. _

_William chuckled as he mentally checked off Britta Perry on the list in his head. Five down, two to go, he thought._

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Basement bar of Hamish, Hamish and Hamlin law firm, July 2009. _

_William tapped his foot as he waited for Alan Connor to arrive. He knew the lawyer always stopped at the bar after work before heading out. He just had to wait until he arrived. _

_A part of him wished Jeffrey would show up. Although he had again changed his appearance he knew it would be a thrill to walk right up to his son and see if somehow his disguise could be seen through. But he knew Jeffrey never bothered visiting the bar, even if it was in the basement of the law firm he worked at. Jeffrey felt he was better than that, and instead went to some trendy out of the way bar to show how cool he was. _

_Just then Allen stumbled into the bar. From his red rimmed eyes and constant sniffing it was clear he was high on coke. This should make things easier, William thought. _

_He waited until Allen had a drink before approaching him. "Allen? Allen Connor?" He squinted before gasping in recognition. "Oh My God, it is you. It's me, Charley. Charley Laker. You were my lawyer last year for a DWI case. You got me clean off. How've you been?" _

_Allen frowned as he slowly nodded his head. "I'm good. I'm sorry, I don't remember you…" _

"_Oh, that's ok. I'm sure you've represented so many people that after a while only the real big cases stick out. The important thing is I remember you. Barkeep! Get this man anything he wants. I'm buying for him tonight." He sat down next to Allen as he slapped him on the shoulder. "See that. You treat me right and I treat you right." _

_They spent the next two hours drinking. Or more accurately, Allen spent the next two hours drinking. When Allen wasn't looking William simply waved his hand in front of his glass to make the alcohol disappear. He kept going on about how great a lawyer Alan was and how important he must be to the firm. _

"_I'm telling you, I know I'm repeating myself, but the way you got me off was pure genius. I'm surprised they haven't made you partner yet." _

_Allen chuckled darkly as he brought the glass of whisky to his lips. "I may have a while before that happens. Besides, they would make Jeff Winger partner before me." _

"_He's that guy you said you work with." _

"_Yea. Big hot shot lawyer. He breezes in here and suddenly he's the firm's golden boy." He downed his drink and shuttered as the liquor burned his throat. "He, he better watch out though. Cause I could have him out of here like that." _

"_Oh yea. How's that?" _

_Allen leaned closer to William and lowered his voice. "I've found out something about our Mr. Winger that could get him fired from here. Maybe even disbarred." _

_William faked surprise at hearing this. "Really, wow. Why haven't you told anyone?" _

_Allen shrugged as he signaled for the bartender to pour him another drink. "Cause it would completely destroy the guy's career." _

"_But you said he doesn't deserve the success he has. You work twice as hard as this Jeff and he gets all the recognition. If you truly know of a reason he shouldn't be here, I say screw him and rat the guy out. Survival of the fittest." _

_Allen nodded at William's words. "Yea. Why should he get all the success when he doesn't deserve it?" He stood up unsteadily, only not falling over because William caught him. "Yea, first thing tomorrow I'm going to send a e-mail out that will expose Jeff Winger for the fraud he really is." _

"_Why not do it now. If you wait until tomorrow you'll think of a reason not to do it and just end up stuck in the same situation you're in right now. This way you don't hesitate and get the life you deserve." _

_Allen smiled as he pulled himself out from William's grasp. "Yea, you're right. I'm going to go up to my office right now and send that e-mail out." With that Allen stumbled out of the bar, leaving a smiling William to gladly pay the bill. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX _

_Greendale Community Campus, September 17__th__, 2009. _

_William pushed the stringy long hair out of his face and adjusted the thick glasses he wore. He hated this last disguise (he looked like an unsuccessful guitarist turned janitor.) But he knew it would be the last one he would need if he was successful today. _

_He stayed in the shadows as he watched Abed Nadir talk to Jeffrey in the quad. The young man babbled on excessively as Jeffrey vaguely listened to him. He waited until Jeffrey walked away and Abed walked into the building before following him. _

_Hiding in an alcove he waited until Abed was almost there before pushing his cart out, causing Abed to 'accidently' walk into him. "Oh man, I'm sorry. Are you all right young man?" _

_Abed brushed the dirt off his jeans, not looking concerned in the slightest. "I'm fine." _

"_Well again, I am sorry. I've seen you around. Your names Abed right? I'm Carl. Carl Reed." _

_Although his face remained the same his eyes lit up in glee. "Like the janitor in the breakfast club." _

"_Um yea, I guess so. I saw you coming out of Chang's Spanish class the other day. That's a hard class." _

"_It is kind of difficult." _

_William leaned on the handle of his broom as he 'pretended' to think of an idea. "If you're having trouble maybe you should see about tutoring. Actually, I overheard a blond haired woman in your class talking about a tutor. She had kind of a funny name. Bittle, Bricca." _

"_Britta. She's twenty eight, has two older brothers, and she thinks she's going to fail tomorrow's test." _

"_Britta, that's it. Well, she seems to know someone who's tutoring people in Spanish. I'd say find her and see when they meet." _

"_Cool. Cool, cool, cool." _

_William waited until Abed had walked a few feet before he called out. "Abed! If she knows someone it wouldn't be fair if just you two benefited from they're help. I'd see if anyone else in your Spanish class needs tutoring also." With that he pushed his cart down the hallway. _

_Three hours later he walked to the library study room and peered in the room. The exact same scenario he'd seen twenty years ago was happening now. All seven people were there, with Pierce arguing with Shirley, Troy arguing with Annie, Jeff hitting on Britta, and Abed watching them all. He walked away giddy with glee. All of his hard work had finally paid off. Now all he had to do was wait for everything to fall into place. _


	2. Chapter 1

Jeff fought to catch his breath as he sank further into the bed. He stared up at the ceiling as he tried to make sense as to what just happened. He had always wondered after all these years what sex with Annie Edison would be like. And now that it had finally happened, it wasn't how he would have pictured it. True it was fantastic in and of itself. But the whole time she had been cold and indifferent. Essentially it had been like sleeping with a skilled hooker.

He leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head away. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing."

He tried to stroke her face, but grew frustrated when she violently slapped his hand away. "OW! What's your deal? I don't get you. You disappeared months ago without a trace. Then out of the blue you return tonight and say you're finally ready to be with me, without even mentioning that you apparently ending things with that architect you were seeing until I brought him up. But you've barely let me touch you."

"I thought we just did plenty of touching."

"I'm not talking about the sex. I'm talking about any intimacy or affection."

Before he could continue she grabbed his head and forcefully kissed him, almost taking his breath away. He tried pulling away from her, but she had a vice strength grip on him. After a few moments he stopped fighting and gave into it.

He didn't notice as she signaled to someone in the distance. As he slid his hands down her sides she pulled away, smiling evilly. He gasped as he was grabbed from behind and yanked to his feet. He looked over his shoulder in shock as he saw another Jeff holding onto him. The Jeff that held him had a robotic arm, like a more advanced version of the terminator metal skeletal arm. But as frightening as that metal arm was, it was nothing compared to the sinister look in his eyes.

Evil Jeff raised his robotic arm, joining his fingers together to form a blade before stabbing the other Jeff through the throat. He twisted the blade and decapitated the head clean from the body. The head spun in the air for a moment before it turned to yellow light, along with the rest of the body. Evil Jeff gasped as the light flowed into his body, illuminating him throughout. After a few moments his body stopped glowing as he fully absorbed the power.

"What the hell took you? You were supposed to kill him once we got back here." Evil Annie snarled as she slipped on her flowing black dress.

"I figured I'd give that Jeff a bit of pleasure before he was killed." Evil Jeff said as he glanced at the bed.

Evil Annie finished dressing and sauntered over to him. "Are you jealous you watched him touch me?" She mockingly said.

"Hardly. You have venom coursing through your veins. My dick would burn off if I stuck it inside of you."

He held up his human hand and ignited his fingers like a lighter as she hissed in rage. "Do not test me Jeff. I will tear that prized flesh right off your body bit by bit."

"Don't make threats you have no intention of fulfilling. We've come too far to throw it all away now on petty hatred." With that he extinguished his fingers and marched out of the room.

She waited until he was gone before pulling out her cell phone. "Sir, it's me. Evil Jeff just killed the second dimensional Jeff. That means he just has one more to take care of before we confront the coveted superhero version…all right, we'll be at the dimensional jump point in twenty minutes. "

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff's eyes opened as he looked over at the bedside clock. 5:30am. It was still fifteen minutes before the alarm would go off. But he didn't mind. Over the last month he had found himself waking up earlier then necessary. It seemed he had willed his body to rise early so he could perform the ritual he had taken to doing each morning.

He turned over and looked at Annie as she slept. She seemed so serene, so at peace with herself. Like everything she had been going through for the last month was just a dream. He longed to take her in his arms and hold her. Just simply hold onto his wife for endless hours. He thickly swallowed as the realization of how far apart they had grown hit him.

He continued to watch her sleeping form for the next fifteen minutes. Just before the clock turned 5:45am he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, pretending to be jerked awake as the alarm buzzed.

He looked at her back as she sat up in bed, pulling herself as far over to the edge as she could get. "Morning Sweetie." It was a few moments before she made a noise that indicated that she heard him. "Do you want to run or spar together today?"

"I told you, I like training by myself now." She harshly said, irritated that she had to remind Jeff of this every morning. Although Jeff could guess what would happen he reached over and lightly touched her back. As he sadly predicted she stiffened for a moment before rising off the bed. "Please don't touch me." she softly said. Fighting back tears she grabbed her workout clothes and left the bedroom, not closing the door for fear of breaking it off its hinges again.

Jeff sat up in bed as he tried to control his emotions. Ever since Annie had gained super strength she had distanced herself from everyone. She kept to herself and she always turned down the group's offers (Abed and Shirley inviting them over for dinner, Troy wanting to take her to a movie, Britta wanting to go out for coffee or have the two of them volunteer at the animal rescue shelter) for her to spend time with them. But that was nothing compared to how she was around him. She could hardly be in the same room with him anymore. And at this point no sex was the least of their problems; there hadn't been any physical intimacy between them at all. If his fingers even grazed her skin she flinched as if she had been struck.

It killed Jeff to see her so broken, so damaged. He had asked Troy if this was how she was when they were in high school and Troy said that while she was skittish back them, it was nowhere near as extreme as it was now.

He knew she was still adjusting to her new powers and he would give her all the time she needed. But this total distance between them was killing him. He sighed deeply as he got out of bed and put on his running shoes, hoping he could run away from his problems for at least a little while.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Britta opened her eyes and then quickly shut them as sunlight bathed her face. After a few moments she rubbed her face and got up from the couch. She made her way into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Even though she and Troy had at first agreed that whoever was up first would make it she quickly insisted that she be in charge of the coffee after tasting his 'improved' version.

Britta had been crashing at Troy's place for the past month. After only a few days of seeing how horribly awkward things were between Jeff and Annie she decided it would be best if she moved out so they could work things out in private. At first she wasn't sure how living with Troy would go, given their brief time as a couple years ago. But so far it had worked out relatively well.

As she walked into the kitchen she saw Troy standing there, looking intently at himself in the mirror over the sink like he did every morning. "For someone who says he's not vain you seem to like looking at yourself."

"I'm just shocked that I look the same." He pointed to a picture of himself from Greendale he had recently taped next to the mirror. "Each morning I look at myself and I look exactly like I did when we were at Greendale."

Britta made a noise with her throat as she started making the coffee. Ever since they had been told they were essentially ageless she'd tried not to give it much thought. If she did her head swam with questions. Was it permanent? Since it had to do with superheroes did it only apply to those who were superheroes or to everyone in this dimension? If you were made aware of it did that somehow affect it? Did it really just affect them or were other versions of themselves also ageless? Did it only apply to people or would her cat Captain Whiskers also never age? She found it was better to just try and live her life as normally as possible then to dwell on it.

"I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks about it." Troy said. "I mean, Annie always hated it when people pointed out how young she was. So I'm sure she's thought about how she's basically twenty now forever."

"I think right now Annie's dealing with bigger issues then how old she is." Britta said as she poured herself a cup and sat at the table, looking off into space as she drank it. She glanced over as Troy joined her.

"Do you ever think about us Britta?"

Britta groaned as she put her cup down. She really didn't want to have this conversation right now. "Troy, we've been over this. It's better if we don't go down that road again."

"I wasn't talking about us specifically. I meant the other versions of us. Remember? That other Abed said in one dimension we were together. Do you ever wonder why it worked out for them and not us?"

"Troy, I have no idea. To me it all seems so weird. That somewhere there are other versions of us living completely different lives. I just try to think about what makes sense to me. I mean, to me it seems weird that somewhere out there Shirley and Abed aren't married with a kid, or that me and Jeff are together like that, or that Jeff and Annie didn't realize how much they love each other. I'm just focused on how we are here in this world."

Troy was about to respond when he looked over at the TV in the kitchen, which had been turned on but was on mute. He quickly unmuted it as he saw whose face was on the screen. Britta and Troy watched in anticipation as Robert Laybourne's face filled the screen. ::It's time we took back Greendale and stopped relying on individuals in costumes to protect us. The death of Lieutenant Marshall Kane last month was a terrible tragedy. But it's just as much our fault for allowing vigilantes to run wild. If our mayor hadn't sanctioned them our police could have done their job properly and this tragedy could have been avoided. If I am elected mayor next election I vow to not only reverse the current legal status of vigilantes but to arrest those who have taken the law into their hands for far too long!::

Britta grabbed the remote and pressed mute to drown out the cheers from Laybourne's speech. "Who the hell does he think he is? If it wasn't for us Rich and his drug ring would still be active. And we were the ones who stopped Evil Abed."

"Maybe he has a point." Troy pressed on as Britta looked at him in shock. "It's just, after seeing those evil versions of ourselves. Maybe we're not completely helping people with what we're doing."

"One doesn't have anything to do with the other Troy. Those evil versions of us aren't tied to us exclusively. Apparently anyone could have killed their other selves and gotten those powers. We just had versions who figured it out." She sat there in thought for a moment. "It does seem weird though that we were the only ones who have versions of us that figured out all of this. Different dimensions, obtaining power through killing your other selves. You'd think someone would have figured it out besides ourselves."

"Evil Abed probably figured it all out."

"I don't think so. The way Evil Annie killed him like that; it was almost like she didn't want him to reveal anything. I think more people are involved in whatever her plans are."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell are we doing in this dimension? I thought we weren't going after the superhero Jeff until the rest were killed." Evil Jeff angrily exclaimed.

"We're not here to kill him." Evil Annie said. "We're here because our boss feels it's time for you to meet him. "

Evil Jeff's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. After months of searching for and killing his other dimensional selves he was finally going to meet the one who was having them do it. Before their employer had kept his identity a secret. As far as Evil Jeff knew Evil Annie was the only one who knew who he was. But now it seems he himself was about to be privy to that information.

The two of them drove in tense silence until Evil Annie pulled up to Hawthorne manor. Evil Jeff scoffed as they got out of the car. "You're telling me this dimension's Pierce is the one responsible for all of this?"

"Of course not. Our boss is just living here. Come on." They walked up to the front door where Annie pushed on the intercom. "We're here." A moment later a buzz was heard and the door opened. Evil Annie pushed Evil Jeff out of the way as they marched into the mansion.

They walked through the mansion until they got to a large sitting room. Evil Jeff looked around impatiently. "Where is he?"

"Right here." They turned around as William Winger stepped into view. "Hello Jeffrey."

"YOU!" Evil Jeff screamed. He leapt at his father like a tiger, ready to slash his throat with his robot hand. But instead Evil Jeff moved right through him, as if the man were a ghost. He tumbled to the ground as his robotic arm left deep claw marks in the floor.

As the holographic image disappeared the real William Winger stepped into the room, waving a finger at Evil Jeff as he held Osbourne's book. "I figured you'd react rashly to seeing me, so I took precautions in case I was right. Now, if you will liste_"

Before he could finish Evil Jeff jumped up and charged forward, swinging at his father. William jumped back and tripped over his feet, the book falling out of his hands. Both men made a mad dash for the book. Just as Evil Jeff reached it Evil Annie pounced on him, throwing him across the room as she grabbed the book and handed it back to William.

"If you will just LISTEN!" William yelled. "And stop being a horse's ass."

"Why should I listen to you?" Evil Jeff spat as he pulled himself up. "After everything you did, why should I listen to ANYTHING you have to say?"

"Just listen Jeff!" Evil Annie yelled. "Listen to what he has to-."

"Know your place girl!" William yelled. He smiled as Evil Annie hung her head before focusing back on Evil Jeff. "Yes, my actions to you as a boy affected you. But I'm not here because of your past; I'm here because of your future. It was because of me that you and Ms. Edison have powers beyond that of mortal man. I found out how to obtain them and I shared it with you two, along with the late Mr. Nadir and the late Mr. Barnes of your dimension. Now you two are close to obtaining all six powers. Once that is done we will be able to rule this and all other dimensions."

"And why would we need you once we have all of the dimensional powers?" Evil Jeff said.

William held up the Osbourne's book. "This book is full of spells and power. Your powers are great. But even at their full capacity they wouldn't be a match to someone using the secrets of this book."

"Well why don't I just take that book for myself then." Evil Jeff tried jumping, but he suddenly couldn't move his feet. He tried lifting his legs, but they were stuck to the floor as if they were glued in place. Suddenly he grabbed his throat as he was unable to breath. He gasped for air as he looked up at his father. William Winger calmly looked at Evil Jeff as his face turned purple and then blue as he struggled for air. He made a complicated figure eight motion and Evil Jeff's throat reopened. Evil Jeff gulped in air as he fell to the floor, his legs now also unstuck.

"You're good son. I'll give you that. But I am better. I have been working towards this endgame for over fifty years. I've taken every scenario into consideration. Try to understand that you cannot beat me. Now, I don't care if you hate me; you can continue doing that if it makes you feel better. But at least have enough common sense to know that if you join me you will go further then you could ever dream of doing. I hold the keys to the kingdom. All you have to do is stand by me, and you will rule alongside me."

William walked over to Evil Jeff as he stood up. William smiled as he held out his hand. Evil Jeff glared at it for several moments before he begrudgingly stuck out his human hand and shook his father's hand. "Fine. You have a deal."

"Good. First things first. You will wait here with Ms. Edison while I go out for a few supplies. Once I return there is a little ritual that will need to be performed."

William walked across the sitting room. As he got to the alcove he turned and looked back at Evil Jeff. "You made the right decision here Jeffrey."

Evil Jeff smiled as he looked at his father. That's it, think I'm fine with everything, he thought. And then as soon as I'm invincible I'm going to beat your skull in until you're decapitated by my fists.

While William couldn't read minds, he correctly guessed that Evil Jeff was just going along until he obtained all of the dimensional powers before he tried to kill him. But this didn't bother him in the slightest. Because as soon as all of the powers were collected, the boy was as good as dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes Ted. I'll let you know when I'll be coming back. But for now I'm going to keep working from home. I'll call you tomorrow about the Wisniewski case. Good night."

Jeff sighed deeply as he hung up the phone, thinking about how the course of his life had gone. He was sure he would have gone back to being a lawyer as soon as he graduated Greendale. But instead he had ended up doing consulting work full time as a freelance agent. The pay rate was good and he was able to set his own hours (which was a big advantage when you spent most nights fighting crime.) While he worked with a few law firms he mostly spent his time at Hamish, Hamish and Hamlin, to the point where he even had his own office there. But he had severely cut back to be there for Annie (or more accurately try his best to be there for her while she avoided him) after she had gained super strength. Any work he did was now done strictly from home.

He heard the front doorknob turn, followed a moment later by Annie walking into the apartment. "Hey Sweetie. How was your day?"

"Fine." she said without tone or infliction.

"I made chicken cacciatore, with green beans and those seasoned potatoes you like"

"I'm not hungry." She started walking when Jeff stepped in front of her. "Jeff-."

"Annie."

"Get out of my way." She said in a low dangerous voice.

"I just want to talk to you, like when two people love each other and one is deeply concerned for the other."

"I can't do this right now." She pushed past him and walked towards the bedroom.

"Then when Annie?" She stopped and tightly closed her eyes as Jeff came up behind her. "You won't talk to me, you keep pushing everyone away. You can't keep shutting yourself out like this. I know this is hard for you-."

"You don't know anything!" She turned around in anger, causing Jeff to take a step back. "You have no idea what I'm going through. "

"Then talk to me Annie. Tell me what I obviously can't see."

"What you can't see Jeff." she angrily spat back at him. "Is that I'm losing myself. Every moment that passes I feel like I'm contaminated and wrong. Everyone keeps trying to have me focus on the positive, telling me how lucky I am to have this 'gift'. But all I feel is inhuman. Every time I do anything I'm terrified I'll break or hurt something or someone. I'm constantly on edge trying to relearn how to do everything normally. And the worst part of it is that this is me now. This is who I am. Even at the worst of my Adderal addiction I knew I could crawl back and feel human again. I can't do that here. This is how I am now, and I hate it!"

Jeff desperately blinked back tears as he tried to think of something to say. But he couldn't think of anything. He didn't have a stellar 'Jeff Winger speech' to make everything all better. This time he had no idea how to respond to how she was feeling.

Annie quickly marched across the room and threw the front door open, letting out a shriek of anger from accidently ripping the doorknob off. "I can't be here right now. I have to-." She threw the doorknob on the floor (ignoring that it was now imbedded in the wooden boards) and ran down the stairs.

"Wait! Annie wait!" Jeff yelled as he ran after her, not even stopping to put his shoes on. He tore down the stairwell and pushed open the lobby door, stopping in the doorway as he watched her race down the street.

He considered following her. He wasn't sure she should be alone in the state she was in. And it wouldn't be hard for him to track her. But he decided to let her be on her own and work out what she was going through. He walked back up to their apartment, hoping he had made the right decision.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie ran as fast as she could down the streets of Greendale, covering several miles before finally slowing down to a brisk walk. She was already in great shape from her vigorous training, and after gaining super strength her stamina and endurance had improved even more so. By the time she finally stopped to catch her breath she realized she was in a completely unfamiliar part of town.

As she looked around she saw that she was standing next to a pharmacy. As soon as she saw the building she realized what was inside, and practically started salivating at the thought of all the pills that were in there. She walked to the darkened building and gently turned the locked doorknob, proving that it was closed for the night.

It wouldn't be that hard to break in here, she thought. I can easily break the door open and any further locks. And I know exactly what I'm looking for. I could be in and out in a few minutes.

Suddenly coming to her senses she backed away, trying to get over the shock of what she had just been thinking. She had been clean for the past twelve years. And while there had been times she had been severely tempted to find some Adderall and use again (when Pierce was killed by El Tigre, when Troy was beaten into a coma and then Jeff subsequently broke up with her to protect her) she had always fought back against the urges and temptation.

But this was worse than the other times she had come close to relapsing. Like she had earlier yelled at Jeff, how she felt right now was who she now was. Because of what she had gained she might never feel human again, and that sickened her. She wanted to forget about how she felt and focus on something, anything, else. And she knew that Adderall would accomplish that.

Just then she heard a cry off in the distance. She looked over and saw someone standing on the bridge that went over the harbor (it didn't matter if Abed Five said it had formed only since the dimensional splitting. To her it still seemed natural that Greendale was on the water). The person had stepped over the guardrail and was holding onto it with both hands as they leaned down. Annie ran over to the bridge, but stopped abruptly when she saw who the person hanging over the edge was.

It was Britta.

Or more accurately, it was Britta if she was a crazy homeless woman. She looked like she hadn't bathed or changed her clothes in weeks. She was dirty, her hair was a tangled mess and her clothes were tattered. But more alarming then her appearance was how she was acting. She was muttering to herself and kept involuntarily switching and shaking.

"Britta?"

"No no no no no. I won't, that can't. They hold me down and make me…I won't. I won't kill myself. I'll kill myself before I kill myself again."

"Britta!"

"No don't. They put it in me, made me put it in. The blood and the death, then the light. Now they…they are wolf and I am prey."

Britta continued shaking her head as Annie tried to figure out what to do. She was standing on the opposite side of the bridge, and even if she ran she wouldn't be fast enough to make it to Britta before she let go. Instead she took a careful step forward, hoping she could calmly talk to Britta before she reached her. "Britta, look at me. It's me, Annie. It's going to be all right."

Britta turned her head and looked behind her. As soon as she saw Annie she let out a scream that was filled with terror. As she started to let go of the railing Annie stared deep into Britta's eyes, reacting purely on instinct to try and save her. Even though she hadn't used the Hawthorne stare in months she remembered exactly how to do it. She just prayed she could hold eye contact long enough for it to take hold.

Almost instantly Britta's eyes glazed over as the stare took effect on her. Before Annie could process on how it had worked must faster than usual her spine bent backwards as she glowed with the same kind of yellow light that formed when someone killed their other dimensional self. As the light left her she straightened her back, breathing hard as she tried to make sense of what just happened. Annie looked up and saw Britta shake her head in confusion before she let go of the guardrail.

Instinctively Annie ran towards Britta. As soon as she started running everything around her moved as if it were in super slow motion, even though she herself was moving normally. Despite knowing it was physically impossible she managed to make it to the other side of the bridge and grab hold of Britta's hand.

"NO! I WON'T!" Britta screamed. She thrashed around, showing the same amount of strength that Annie possessed. Annie just had time to notice that Britta didn't have a burn mark on either of her hands before Britta broke away from Annie's grasp. Annie tried to grab hold of Britta, but couldn't as she slipped out of reach. She could only watch in shock as the Britta before her fell into the icy waters below.

Annie placed her hands on the back of her neck, trying desperately to make sense of what just happened. The Britta that just fell in the water was not the Britta from this dimension. But why did she went to kill herself, and what was she talking about before she jumped? Had she been afraid of me because she thought I was the evil version of me, Annie thought. And what happened before when I used the Hawthorne stare on her? I glowed with yellow light and then I was able to run over and catch her in the blink of an eye.

Unable and unwilling to process it all Annie started running again. As soon as her legs started pumping everything around her became a blur, with the world seeming to move in slow motion. Images passed by her at lightning speed, although she was able to notice everything that was flying by her. She kept on moving, despite feeling like she was on a drug trip. When she finally stopped she gasped when she saw her surroundings. She was standing on a road with unfamiliar mountain ranges around her. A little ways in front of her she spotted a sign. She walked towards it, but then stopped in shock when she saw what the sign said.

It read **"Welcome to Montana"**

Annie started breathing rapidly, doubling over as she threw up on the side of the road. Somehow she had now gained super speed (though she should have realized it sooner somehow she hadn't fully processed it until just now) in addition to increased strength, and had just run across two states as if it was nothing. While she knew it had to do with using the Hawthorne stare on the other Britta she had no idea how that caused her to gain super speed. She had used the stare hundreds of times and this had never happened before. So why did it happen now?

As she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand she forced herself to take deep breaths to try and calm down. But she couldn't stop thinking about how she now had another thing that would keep her from feeling human, and would have to relearn even more to try and act normally. Finally she straightened up as she knew what she had to do to make herself feel better.

At the nearest town she purposely searched the shops on Main Street until she found a pharmacy. Although it was locked she was easily able to break the door off its hinges. She went inside and was able to swipe a big bottle of pills and get out in only a few seconds. She jogged (which looked like a full on Olympic sprint to a normal person) until she found an abandoned ally.

Trying to control her shaking hands she opened the large Adderall container and tipped it over as a number of small white pills fell into her open palm. She looked at the pills, feeling a sense of comfort and familiarity about to return to her.

Although she couldn't stop shaking and a voice in her head screamed for her to stop she slowly brought her hand up towards her face. Closer and closer her hand came up towards her. Saliva dripped down her chin as her mouth opened, her tongue extended as the pills were millimeters from entering her body.

Just before they entered her mouth she stopped, and slowly brought her hand down. Yes, the pills had brought her a release. But they also brought her pain and misery. They had made her crazy, and were the cause of her losing everything she had worked for. As amazing as the benefits of using them were, the risks and pitfalls were even greater.

Annie screamed and threw the handful of pills at the brick wall of one of the buildings, where they flew into the brick as if they were bullets shot from a gun. She punched the wall in rage, cracking the brick and hardened cement. She punched the wall with rapid ferociously, bellowing loudly as her fists turned the brick to red powder. When she finally stopped she had punched completely through the wall, to the point where it was almost completely destroyed.

Breathing hard she ran her hands through her hair as she tried to calm down. As she regained her composer she looked at her knuckles, seeing that the skin was split and ripped open. Annie wiped the blood away before she started running back to Greendale.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff pulled his shirt off as he climbed into bed. It was 2 in the morning and he was exhausted. While he originally wasn't going to he decided to go out searching for Annie. But after an hour of looking he went back and decided it would be better to give her space and wait until she returned on her own. Wanting to wait up for her he tried to keep himself occupied, despite feeling like a kid with ADD. He fixed the front doorknob, did some paperwork for the Wisniewski case, watched TV, attempted to play solitaire and then bejeweled on his phone. But he eventually became too tired to stay up anymore and decided to turn in.

As Jeff lay down he hoped Annie was better when she returned, or at least wasn't doing any worse. He closed his eyes as sleep took hold of him.

**He gripped his dinosaur bed sheets in terror as he heard the yelling in the hallway. He was five years old and his parents were fighting again. He heard his father screaming at his mother, then that horrible soft thud sound of fists hitting flesh. It was the same sound he heard when kids fought in kindergarten. ** **He heard the thud again, followed by his mother screaming and pledging for his father to stop. All that followed was more yelling and crying. **

**Jeff slowly got out of bed and walked on tiptoes to his closed bedroom door. He was terrified of his father and knew he should stay in bed. But he couldn't stand being in here while all this was going on outside. Carefully he turned the doorknob and slipped out into the hallway. Instantly he regretted it as he saw the terrible sight before him. **

**His father was standing over his mother, bellowing at her while she moaned in pain. Blood poured down her face as she placed her hand over her broken nose and split lip. She weakly cried for him to stop but he wouldn't listen to her. Instead he kicked her hard in her ribs, causing her to scream a horrible cry of pain. **

**Just then another cry filled the hallway. It took Jeff a moment to realize it had involuntarily come from himself. His father turned around and saw Jeff staring at him in fear. He bellowed as he charged towards him. Jeff tightly closed his eyes as his father advanced towards him. **

**As Jeff opened his eyes he saw that he was standing in a different part of the hallway. He was no longer a child but a grown man. He looked down and saw a woman lying on the ground at his feet. While at first he thought it was his mother he quickly realized she wasn't her. Jeff let out a gasp as he realized who she was. **

**The woman at his feet was Annie. **

**She rolled over onto her back and pushed herself up, holding herself up with her arms. Unlike his mother she didn't have a bruise or a mark on her. Although there was fear in her eyes, somehow Jeff was able to sense that he wasn't the one she was afraid of. **

**Jeff reached down and pulled Annie to her feet. As they silently looked at each other Jeff felt someone approach them. Without even turning around he was able to sense that his father was the one standing right behind him. "Do it son. Show her who's in charge. She's nothing. Remind her of where she stands." **

**Jeff tried to control the panic and rage that took hold of him as his father continued to whisper in his ear. "She's talked back to you and made you feel insignificant. Show her that Wingers are to be respected, not belittled. Be a man Jeffrey!" **

"**OK." Jeff said. He raised his fist and punched his father square in the jaw, causing him to stumble back several feel before he fell to the ground. Years of anger and resentment came flooding out of Jeff as he marched towards his father. He punched at him again, but before he could make contact his father grabbed his fist and held Jeff as if he were a rag doll. **

"**Fine then. Have it your way. Goodbye Jeffrey." Jeff felt himself glow red hot as his father grabbed onto him with both hands. Jeff cried out as he exploded into a thousand pieces. **

Jeff sat straight up in bed, feeling himself to make sure he was still there. His heart was pounding wildly against his ribcage and he was covered in sweat. It was just a dream, he thought. A terrible nightmare.

He tried to process what he had just experienced in his dream. Although sadly the first part of the dream wasn't really a dream at all, but rather a memory. Everything that had happened in the dream when he was a child, from him terrified in bed to his father advancing on him, had really happened. It was one of several horrendous memories regarding his father, memories he had only fully shared with one other person.

Trying to ignore the pain of remembering his childhood Jeff instead focused on the later aspects of the dream as he tried to decipher what they meant. He had been standing over Annie as she lay on the floor. She was in the same position his mother had been in, but unlike his mother she hadn't been beaten.

While a physiatrist might interpret that it meant Jeff had fears that he would hurt Annie he knew that wasn't the case. Yes, there had once been a very real time he was afraid he might hurt her someday like his father hurt his mother. But he knew now that would never happen. He had been tested and he had passed.

It was one night not long after they started living together. He couldn't remember what exactly had started that fight. But he clearly remembered the intensity that it escalated into. He was screaming at her, angrier then he could ever remember being. She in turn screamed back at him, matching him in rage as they both brought up every issue that had ever stood between them. He finally grabbed his coat and marched towards the door, wanting to get away. Before he could reach it Annie stepped in front of the door and blocked it, refusing to let him walk away until they worked this out.

What happened next would forever be burned into his memory.

"_Get out of the way Annie!"_

"_I'm not letting you leave until we've worked this out!"_

"_GET OUT OF MY WAY!"_

"_NO!"_

"_Get out of my way right now or I'll-"_

"_YOU'LL WHAT! YOU'LL HIT ME JEFF!"_

The impact of Annie's words caused Jeff to step back, as if he himself had been slugged in the gut. What she had just said was something he had feared would happen if he was pushed enough. And now that she had essentially challenged him he truly asked himself, "could I ever hit her?" As he looked into her rage twisted face, furious at her and even hating her at that moment, he realized quite simply that he couldn't. As angry as he was at that moment, he couldn't lay a finger on her.

Instead of leaving he stayed and they talked. There was more yelling, more arguing as they worked through every issue they had. Tears were shed by both of them as everything came pouring out of them. Jeff told her about his father and how he beat him and his mother and terrorized them both when Jeff was a boy. How he grew to hate all three of them; his father for everything that he did, his mother for defending and staying with the man that abused her, and himself for not being able to do anything to stop it. He told her how he feared that whatever evil drove his father to do what he did was inside of Jeff, and how because of that fear he kept people from getting too close to him for fear of hurting them. In turn Annie told Jeff about her own dysfunctional childhood and how her parents fought all the time. How she was afraid she would someday become like her mother; someone who was cold and turned her back on others when they needed her the most. She went into great detail about high school and her Adderall addiction and how she still feared that even after everything she was just a weak girl who would let her past consume her. They ended up staying up all night talking and working things out. And while it was an extremely painful experience for both of them, when it was over they knew they were better off for it.

Not only did they become closer after that night, but afterwards their fights changed also. It wasn't that they argued or fought more then they usually did. If anything they fought less. But rather now when they fought they didn't hold anything back. Instead of keeping it all in they clearly let the other know when something bothered them. This allowed them to be more open and honest with one another.

Jeff rubbed his temples as he tried to remember the rest of the dream. His father had been urging him to hit Annie. And instead Jeff punched him. But what did it mean? He understood why Jeff would attack his father. But why in the dream would his father have urged him to hit Annie? What was the meaning behind it? And what about the end, when his father destroyed him. What did that signify?

Just then he heard a key scrape in the front door lock. He got out of bed and walked into the living room just as the door opened and Annie slunk in. "Annie. Are you all right…I was so worried about you." He went over to her but stopped just short from hugging her at the last moment, knowing how she felt right now about being touched. He smiled a little half smile when he saw how her head was hanging in shame and her hands were deep in her pockets. "I know we once said that we'd never walk out on a fight. But since this was more you just yelling at me I don't think this counts as a actual two person fight."

Annie glanced up at Jeff's lame attempt at joking about the situation. There were many things about tonight (another Britta being here and killing herself, her gaining super speed) that she knew she should tell him. But right now there was only one thing she truly needed to get out. "I almost used tonight."

Her eyes filled with shame as Jeff's jaw tensed up and his eyes filled with shock and sadness. When he didn't say anything she continued. "I broke into a pharmacy and stole some Adderall. I, I was standing in an ally ready to shove handfuls of pills down my throat, until I didn't care about anything. Until I had some relief, however temporary, from how I feel every moment of every day. I didn't. I threw the pills away. But Jeff, I was THIS close." She held her hand right up to her open mouth to illustrate how close she had been to actually swallowing the pills.

They stood there for several moments, neither of them saying anything. Finally Jeff took a deep breath as he looked into her eyes. "Well, the important thing is you didn't use. When it counted you were able to stop yourself." He said in a calm rational voice.

"DON'T!" Annie screamed at Jeff. "Can you just not."

"Can I not what?"

"Stop being so calm and understanding about all of this. I've been treating you like shit. I almost downed a handful of Adderall tonight. Tell me I'm weak or pathetic or something!"

"NO." Jeff said as he looked at Annie. While his voice was calm she could see real annoyance etched on his face. "Annie, I may not be able to understand exactly what you're going through. But I know this is hard for you. And I'm doing everything I can think of to help you through this." He paused for a moment as anger flowed into his words. "But I will not play the part of the asshole husband who berates his wife that you've seemed to cast me in. For some reason you seem to want me to, I don't know, scream and blame you for what you're going through. Well, I'm not doing that. I'm not being the insensitive jerk who doesn't care about what you're going through. So get that notion out of your head!"

Annie balled her hands into fists, swaying where she stood as she seethed in anger. She was about to start screaming when the anger suddenly left her as she was overtaken by complete sadness and defeat. She fell to the floor like a marionette whose strings had just been cut. While tears fell down her cheeks she didn't make a sound.

Jeff went over to Annie and sat down next to her, taking her in his arms. She struggled but he didn't let go, and after a moment she relaxed and leaned back into him.

They sat there all night, neither of them saying anything as Jeff held onto her. Annie trembled as she rested against his bare chest, trying to absorb some of Jeff's strength. Because while she could physically juggle cars with ease, emotionally she was completely drained and empty.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The internet is a wondrous thing, William Winger thought as he printed out the registration form. While before he would have had to kidnap a priest to do this he could now become ordained himself. This made things all the more easier.

He walked into the sitting room, where Evil Jeff and Evil Annie were standing a few feet away from each other, barely looking at one another. A tied up and gagged homeless man was also in the room, looking at everyone in horror.

"Why did we have to get a homeless man to be a witness? Why couldn't we have just used-."

Evil Annie's question was drowned out by a loud moan. "SHUT THE BASEMENT DOOR!" William yelled. She raised her hand and the door closed and locked on its own accord. He glared at Evil Annie. "I refuse to be in the company of our guest anymore then I have to be. Now, let's get on with it. If you two will stand next to each other."

He waited until the two of them begrudgingly stood next to each other before he began. "We're here tonight to join Jeffrey Winger and Annie Edison in the bound of marriage. I'll skip to the part that matters. Annie, do you take this man in matrimony?"

"Sure."

"Say 'I do.'"

"Yes, I do." She said through gritted teeth.

"Good girl. Now Jeffrey, do you take this woman in matrimony?"

"I do." Evil Jeff said, as if it pained him to do so.

"Now, exchange the rings."

Glaring at each other, Evil Annie took Evil Jeff's human hand and forcefully put a gold band on his finger. He then grabbed her hand and roughly put her ring on her finger.

"As it may, you two are now bound by matrimony. You may kiss the bride. Kiss!" William pointedly said. "This shouldn't be that hard. You once were physically attracted to each other."

"That was a long time ago." Evil Jeff said. Rolling his eyes he gave Evil Annie a quick peck on her lips. "There."

"It is done then." William smiled as he turned to the terrified homeless man. "Thank you for being witness to this union. Your services will no longer be needed." With that he raised his hands and a ball of energy flew out of his palms, disintegrating the homeless man. "I always wanted to try out that spell."

"Why again was it so important that we were married?" Evil Jeff asked.

"All in good time. For now, I'd time for you two to jump dimensions. You have one more Jeff to kill before you finally face the superhero version."


	3. Chapter 2

Annie anxiously sipped her water as she waited inside the restaurant. She knew she shouldn't be this nervous. She was just having lunch with Britta and Shirley. It wasn't like she was fighting a supervillain or anything.

But she couldn't help being apprehensive. She had barely seen either of them since the night she was almost killed by Evil Annie. And now they were about to spend the next few hours together.

She knew this was going to be hard. After the way she had treated them, along with everyone else, she wasn't looking forward to 'the talk'. But last night had finally made her realize that she needed her family to get through this. So when she woke up this morning she decided to start making amends, beginning with seeing Britta and Shirley.

"Annie!" Annie got up from the table as Shirley ran over and wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you. How are you sweetie?"

"I'm…" Annie stuttered, not sure how to truly answer the question. Luckily Britta arrived just then, saving Annie from having to answer the question. "Britta, hey." She hugged Britta as the two of them exchanged pleasantries.

The three women sat down at the table and opened their menus, not speaking as they surveyed the selections. Despite them all being glad to see each other there was definitely tension in the air. Each of them seemed to be avoiding looking at each other, paying particular attention to their menu.

"Well, I think I'll have the Chinese Chicken salad." Britta said as she put down her menu.

"I thought you didn't eat meat, as you've told us numerous times." Shirley pointedly said.

"I'm getting it without the chicken."

"Then what's the point in getting it if you're taking out the main ingredient?"

"Because I like the other ingredients."

"Oh sure. Just like when I made you homemade chicken soup when you were sick and Abed told me you just ate the noodles."

"I still don't get why you made me chicken soup if you know I'm a vegetarian?"

"Maybe because that's what nice people do when someone they care about is sick. What should I have made you, hot lettuce soup?"

"You guys." Annie exclaimed. They stopped bickering as they say how upset Annie was getting.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Shirley said

"Yea, sorry Annie." Britta quickly followed up with.

Annie scrunched up her face in annoyance at their apology as she put her menu down. "No, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm sorry for how I've been treating you two."

"Annie, it's ok."

"No Shirley, it's not. I shouldn't have been so harsh and dismissive to you. You two are family, and I should have been able to turn to you instead of pushing you away."

"Yea, you should have." Britta said, before slinking down a little in her chair due to Shirley's stern gaze. "I mean. Yes, it sucks how you've treated us. But, I get why you did. You were dealing with this huge personal thing and you wanted some time alone before you could see anyone."

"But I should have just told you that. Instead of being rude and dismissive."

"Annie." Shirley said. "What you're going through is huge. If it were me I'm not sure if I would be freaking out or searching for everyone who was ever mean to me. It's understandable that you would need time to process everything. But, I don't ever want you to think you can't turn to us if you're in pain. That's what family is. Being there for one another, both good times and bad."

Annie looked at Shirley, who was giving her a stern yet loving gaze. She finally smiled a bit apprehensively. "Ok. Next time I'll try not to push everyone away when I need them."

Things gradually started improving after the ice was broken. They ordered lunch (Britta got into a ten minute argument with the waiter when she was informed they couldn't make Chinese Chicken salad without chicken) and were able to talk. They told her about everything that had been going on in the last month (Abed was patrolling again and Shirley was retraining herself so she could eventually patrol also, Britta was campaigning against Laybourne's campaign to run for mayor) while Annie opened up on how it felt to deal with having super strength. She told them about what had happened last night after yelling at Jeff (she left out how she almost used Adderall and what happened when she returned home) and the three of them tried to figure out what it all meant. But it was well over an hour until she finally got around to the real reason she wanted to see them first instead of anyone else; to gain a woman's perspective on her situation with Jeff.

"Annie, you are not a terrible person." Shirley said.

"Yes I am. How else would you describe it? I've treated Jeff horribly. He's been so patient during all of this. He's constantly trying to do anything he can to help and I either ignore him or chew him out."

"Annie, you know you're allowed to chew out a guy at times, right?" Britta said.

"This isn't occasionally Britta. This has gone on for a solid month. And even with how I'm feeling, Jeff doesn't deserve to be treated this badly. I think..." She hesitated as she tried to find the right way to voice what she wanted to say. "I think I actually wanted Jeff to yell and berate me. I've been feeling so terrible about myself that I wanted something to focus my anger on. So I went out of my way to make Jeff that obstacle. But instead he's been completely patient and understanding. Last night was the first time he's been angry with me since this started and that was just to call me out on what I've been doing."

She hung her head in frustration while the two women looked at her. "What does that say about me?"

"Annie." Britta said. "What you've been doing isn't that uncommon. A lot of times when someone has a internal conflict they look for something external to focus their anger and frustration on. You trying to pick fights with Jeff was your way of dealing with your frustration."

Annie thought about what Britta had said for a few moments. "So how do I fix this?"

"You can start by apologizing to Jeff." Shirley said.

"It's not that simple."

"It never is. But the first step is simply saying 'I'm sorry'. The rest, however hard it is, will work itself out. I've seen the way you two look at each other for years. Even during your brief separation I knew you'd work it out eventually."

Annie sighed deeply as she prepared to bring up the other issue she wanted to discuss. "There's one other thing. Ever since I gained super strength Jeff and I…haven't had… relations…and, I'm not sure if I can."

"Annie, if you're not ready Jeff should realize that. I mean, we all know how much he loves sex, but I think he can put a hold on his libido for your sake." Britta said.

"Britta's right sweetie. After Aaron was born it was almost three months before Abed and I had sex. I was tired, cranky, I had put on weight. My breasts were constantly sore from all the feedings. Sex was the last thing I could think of. And Abed understood. He was supportive and never pressured me. And when I was finally ready." Shirley smirked as she remembered that night. "Trust me; it was well worth the wait."

"It's not that I don't want to." Annie said. "We haven't gone this long without…" She quickly whispered the word "sex", ignoring the Britta and Shirley's smirks at seeing a bit of the old Annie come out. "Shut up. The last time we went this long without doing it was during our separation after Troy was attacked. And this is worse since we're still living together. "

"But if you're not ready."

"It's more than just how I feel. Yes, some of it has to do with me feeling different. But really." She sighed deeply before she continued. "I'm afraid I'll hurt him."

She scowled as Britta and Shirley started giggling. "It's not funny. I can lift a car right over my head. It's perfectly reasonable to expect that I could hurt Jeff….in the heat of the moment."

She waited impatiently as Britta and Shirley tried to control their giggling. Britta waved her hands in front of her as she stopped. "I'm sure it's not that bad Annie."

"Yes it is. I tested myself." Annie sadly said.

Both women looked at Annie, not sure how to react to this news.

"Well Annie." Shirley said slowly and solemnly. "It's going to be hard. But it's possible you two can work through this. When Andre cheated on me I never thought I could forgive him. But with time and effort I was able to-."

"NO." Annie shrieked, shocked that they would even think that. "I did not cheat on Jeff. I…went to dildopolos and bought…something to see if I could have sex."

She closed her eyes as Britta and Shirley started laughing at this news. "So, what happened?" Britta said in between fits of giggles.

Annie's face turned bright red as she buried her face in her hands. "I broke it in half."

People at the nearby tables looked over as Britta and Shirley exploded with laughter over this. "I guess you can call that a new form of circumcision." Britta said, causing another round of laughter from the two women.

"This isn't funny. I'm terrified I'll hurt Jeff if we have sex and now I have proof that I will. I'm a freak. I might as well be a side show attraction. 'Have sex with this woman and she'll crush your penis in half!'"

Britta and Shirley stopped laughing at Annie's outburst, finally seeing the seriousness of Annie's dilemma. "Wow, you have grown Annie. I remember when you couldn't even say the P word." Britta said, trying for a bit of lightness.

Annie smiled at Britta's response before worry took hold of her. "What am I going to do?"

"Well." Shirley said. "Before you were able to hug us without hurting either of us. I'm sure with enough self control you can have sex without hurting Jeff."

"Self control, sure." Annie softly said, privately thinking about how she loved how uncontrollable sex with Jeff was. Even after all this time it was still hard for her to let herself go. But when it came to being intimate with Jeff she felt a true sense of freedom and unrestraint. And now because of her 'condition' she might never have that again. "As long as I watch myself things should be fine." She sadly sighed at how careful she would have to be now.

Britta looked at Annie, concerned at how sad she looked. "Annie, it will happen. It might take some time, but it will happen."

Annie tried to put on a happy face, since they didn't get why this was upsetting her (and she didn't want to get into it). "Yea, I'm sure it will. I just have to be careful and watch myself."

They stayed for a little while longer before they all left. Afterwards Annie went for a walk to think things over.

She missed Jeff. Even though they lived together she felt like they had been roommates during the last month instead of husband and wife. She wanted to be with him. For them to talk and laugh again. For the two of them to hold each other and kiss and be close to one another once more. And while she wasn't exactly thrilled at now having to show restraint and watch herself when they had sex, she would rather that then not have it with Jeff at all.

She started walking home, thinking of a way to take the first and hardest step; which was truly apologizing to him for everything.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

William Winger walked purposely through Hawthorne manor. The place had changed little since he had moved in there. Not that he cared at all about its appearance. To him it wasn't a home; it was a base of operations. A stronghold to carry out his plans in.

He clutched Osbourne's book tightly as he walked. He had already been fearful of losing the book. But after Evil Jeff almost took it away from him yesterday his fears had increased tenfold. The power and information from that book was irreplaceable. He had to make sure it never left his hands again.

He unlocked the door to the basement and made his way down the stairs, trying to ignore the padded walls. The last thing he needed was to imagine the uses Pierce had had for this room. He walked over to the individual chained to one of the walls. He was slumped over with a black cloth bag over his head. William took some smelling salts out and held them under his nose until the man jerked to consciousness. "Wake up. I need information."

"What else can you possibly need from me?" The man said hoarsely.

William held the book close to the man, knowing he'd barely be able to see it through the cloth. "I need to know how to ensure this book never leaves me. That it's bound to me and no one else can use the information inside it."

"Why don't you try eating it?"

William leaned forward and punched the man in the face. "I've kept you alive because you're useful to me. But maybe you've outlived your usefulness."

"This hardly seems useful. I'd welcome death over this."

William punched the man again, having a flashback of Christof mocking him. He almost killed him, but stopped at the last minute. The man might provide him more information. "Stay here and rot for all I care. I'll be back when you're more cooperating." With that William walked upstairs and locked the door.

William hadn't noticed the key to the chains fall out of his pocket when he was beating the man. But the man had heard it fall to the ground. He felt around until he found it and unlocked the cuffs. Rubbing his hands he unsteadily got to his feet. His legs were shaking from not having walked in so long. He tore the cloth off his head and felt around the walls until he pushed a section of wall aside, revealing a narrow hidden passage. Feeling his bones pop and snap he gingerly got to his knees and started crawling through the hole. After a while he made it to a grate. He pushed it open and crawled out into the side yard.

As quickly as his unsteady legs could carry him the man scuttled through the yard. Once he was at the front gate he punched in the lock code and the gate swung open. He hurried down the street, trying to figure out who he should call for help.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Abed, can you come in here for a minute?"

Abed hit pause on the latest kick puncher movie and walked into their bedroom. As soon as he walked in he stopped and stared at what he saw.

"Wow."

Shirley was standing there in her Saint Justice costume, wearing a huge smile on her face. "It fits, it actually fits." She jumped in the air in victory. "After Aaron I wasn't sure…" She shrieked in delight over this moment.

Abed walked over to Shirley and wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her. "That's great. I'm proud of you. But are you sure you're ready to go back out there?"

Shirley nodded her head. "I think it's time. Aaron is getting older. And with Annie not sure when she'll be able to patrol it would be good to have one more person looking out for the citizens. Though you remember what we agreed on, right?"

"If we're both active both of us don't patrol at the same time. One of us stays in if the other is out. For Aaron's sake."

"Right. I'm determined for us to have it all. Both of us can raise a loving child while protecting Greendale."

"Like at the end of The Incredibles."

They looked over in surprise as they heard the phone ring. What was surprising about it was that it wasn't their cell phones, but the rarely used separate land line installed specifically for emergencies. Abed went over and picked it up.

"Hello."

He listened in silence for several minutes as the person on the other line talked. When he put the phone down he turned to Shirley, looking more shocked and surprised then she ever thought possible.

"We have to leave right now."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Shit." Jeff muttered as he dug his keys out of his pocket. He had smelled something burning down the hallway and now knew it was coming from his apartment. Hoping he could catch it before the whole place went up in flames he quickly unlocked the door and threw it open. But as soon as he got inside he just stood there in surprise.

Annie was standing next to the kitchen table, which had been set for two with each of their favorite dishes from their favorite Thai restaurant. Despite the windows being open the smell of burnt smoke hung heavily in the air. She looked up at him with a guilty smile on her face. "I originally was making a fabulous home cooked meal. But I accidently burned it. So I came up with this in a pinch."

Jeff smiled warmly at her as he took off his jacket. "It looks great. We haven't eaten there in a while."

Though he hadn't meant anything by what he said she still winced as it reminded her that they hadn't eaten together in such a long time. She went over to him and took hold of his hand. "Jeff, please sit down."

He didn't say anything as she led him to the table, not sure where things were going. Though he took it as a good sign that she wasn't being dismissive or confrontational. He sat down as she sat in her seat.

Annie took a deep breath as she looked at Jeff. "Jeff, I'm sorry. For how I've been treating you. This, what happened to me had been really hard for me to deal with. And you've been so good to me through all of this."

"Annie-."

"No!" She quickly looked guilty as she lowered her voice. "Sorry. Just let me say this. Yes this has been hard for me. More so then I could have imagined it would be. But I shouldn't have treated you the way that I have. And for that I'm sorry."

"Annie, I know this has been hard for you. It's been hard on me to. I've just done everything I could think of to help you through this."

"I know Jeff, and I appreciate it. Jeff, I know how this is going to sound. But I have to say it. Before when I kept snapping at you, I wanted to fight with you. I wanting something to focus my frustration on, and it was easiest to make it you."

"Annie. I know." He said softly.

She looked at him as she chuckled darkly. "How long have you known. Because I didn't completely figure it out until today."

"I had my suspicions. But I didn't truly put it together until last night when you were furious that I didn't yell at you for almost using Adderall."

She involuntarily shuttered at the memory of being in that Montana ally. "Britta said it's not that uncommon of a thing. That when someone has an internal conflict they look for or create an external one to focus their frustration on."

"Well Britta would know. She was the psych major and aced all those classes. I just don't get why you would want me to be that guy. The belligerent abusive husband. Especially when you know how much I've fought not to be like that."

"Jeff I know. I know it was a terrible thing. I just, I screwed up." Her voice cracked as tears formed in her eyes.

"Hey." Jeff got up and knelt in front of her chair, taking hold of her hands. "It's ok. We all sometimes do things that hurt those we care about. Hell, I can't count the number of times I hurt you when we were at Greendale. But the important thing is to learn from those mistakes, so we don't make them again."

"Right, because you easily did that when we were at Greendale." She softly said.

She groaned in frustration, having made fun of him during this. But Jeff simply chuckled at it. "Yes, it took me a while to get it. But I finally have. Or at least think I have."

She gently ran her fingers on the inside of his wrists. "Why after all of this you've been so good to me?"

"Annie, I promised to stand by you, for better or worse. I think we can attest that all of this, counts as being in the worse category. And you're not the only one here who's given the other reasons not to be with each other. After everything that happened back in school, back just after graduation, it's a miracle we've ended up where we are now. I've already lost you plenty of times. I'm not about to lose you now."

Jeff ran his fingers lightly up her arms, smiling when he saw her flinch. "I guess your newfound strength hasn't stopped you from being ticklish."

"Stop that. It tickles." She giggled. He continued fluttering his fingers over her arms, causing her to inch back in her seat. "I could throw you across the room if I wanted to mister."

"Sounds sexy." He looked up at her as they both stopped giggling. Jeff pulled at her arms as she fell into his lap. They inched forward slowly until his lips pressed against hers. She stiffened for just a moment before she relaxed and melted into him. She moved her hands over his back and sides as her tongue slipped into his mouth. They playfully fought for dominance over their kiss as his hands gently roamed her body, as if he was rediscovering her all over again.

It was nice, she thought. Being in Jeff's arms kissing him. Despite what other's thought, once they officially started going out it was several months before they first had sex. They had been content to spend hours just making out for the sake of kissing, without it leading anywhere else.

But that wouldn't do right now. After going so long without touching each other they both felt a fire inside of them that intensified with each passing moment. While Annie was still worried about hurting Jeff, there was no way she would be able to go on without feeling Jeff inside of her.

Just then both of their phones went off at the same time. After several rings it stopped, only for their phones to again start another series of rings. They managed to ignore four sets of rings. But just as Jeff was furiously unbuttoning her blouse the emergency land line started ringing. Jeff groaned in frustration as he reluctantly stopped. "Someone better be dead or dying." He got up and picked up the phone. "This better be good." He listened to the speaker when he suddenly dropped the phone.

"Jeff, what is it?"

Jeff picked up the phone and dully listened to the speaker as he tried to process what he just heard. "Yea, ok Abed. We'll be there as soon as possible."

"Jeff, what is it?" Annie said as Jeff hung up the phone.

"Pierce. He's alive."


	4. Chapter 3

"_Oh Archie." Pierce laughed as he settled back in his easy chair. Abed had gotten him the first three seasons of All in the Family for his birthday and he was halfway through the second season. Of course, he was well aware that birthdays were now kind of meaningless. But he wasn't going to say anything about it until he had to. _

_He tried keeping his eyes on the screen, even though he kept glancing at the grandfather clock by the fireplace. Annie usually called at ten sharp to check in when she was patrolling. It was now well past eleven and she hadn't called yet. He hoped it was just because she was busy protecting the city. Or because she was with Jeff and forgot to call to tell him she was turning in. But he couldn't help being worried. Every time she went out patrolling he was anxious until he knew she was done for the night. He supposed it was how parents of cops felt when they were on duty. _

_Just then he froze and listened carefully as he heard a slight creak from the floorboards. Slowly he got up and pulled out the crowbar he had hidden under his chair. He listened as the creaking became more prominent. "Come on out!" _

_He looked at the foyer as El Tigre walked into the den. "Hello Bernard. I figured I'd be seeing you eventually." _

_El Tigre sneered as he looked at Pierce. "Oh, big man with your itty bitty weapon there. You're looking paunchy old man. You really think you can take me." _

"_Only one way to find out." _

_El Tigre waved a finger in front of his face. "You know this is all a lie right. This whole Zen martial arts master thing. It's not really you. It's just how you are in this realm." _

"_Well you're not even real. You don't exist outside of this reality. So what does that say about you?" _

_Yelling in anger El Tigre retracted the medal claws in his gloves and charged at Pierce. Pierce blocked him and hid El Tigre in his leg with the crowbar. As El Tigre fell to the ground Pierce swung his crowbar at him. El Tigre rolled out of the way and jumped in the air, kicking Pierce in the face with a spinning kick. Pierce fell back, his crowbar slipping from his hand. Regaining his footing before he fell down Pierce blocked El Tigre's blows as the mad man slashed at him, trying desperately to slash him with those medal claws. Pierce managed to punch El Tigre in the chest a few times before he cracked him full force in the jaw. El Tigre fell back and landed on his ass, shaking his head dazedly as he rubbed his jaw. _

_Just then Pierce cried out as he was hit from behind by a stun gun. As he dropped to the floor someone pulled his arms behind him and tied his wrists together with duct tape. He gasped as he was turned over and saw who his attacker was. "You. I know you." _

"_It's a pleasure to finally meet you Pierce. Of course, I've met a few versions of you already. But this is the first time I've met this version of you." _

"_Where, where do I…?"_

"_Don't feel that bad for not placing me. After all, we only once had a brief yet memorable encounter. However, I believe you're quite familiar with my son, young Jeffery." _

_William Winger snapped his fingers at El Tigre. "Bernard. Bring him in." As El Tigre left the room William knelt down beside Pierce. "See, here's the thing. I need your assistance on a few matters. And while you may not want to help me, I'm going to get the information I need." _

"_If you take me then others will come looking for me." _

"_This is true. Luckily I've taken that into consideration." As William stood up Bernard brought in a bound man with a burlap sack on his head. As he tore the sack off Pierce gasped in shock as he saw that the bound man was himself. _

_Before the other Pierce could speak El Tigre pulled a knife out and slit his throat. Pierce looked away as the other him literally died in front of him. William looked at the dead man with indifference. "Take the body somewhere visible, where others will find it." He paused as a nasty smile crept on his face. "Wait. On second thought make sure Bright Eyes is the one who finds him. Wait until she gets to him and then attack her." _

"_If you hurt her-"_

"_Shut up." William said as he kicked Pierce. _

"_So you want her dead boss?" El Tigre said with glee._

"_Her survival will all depend on how well of a student she is. But yes, fight her and we'll see which one of you wins." As El Tigre left will the other Pierce's body William grabbed Pierce and dragged him to the basement. _

XXXXXXXXXXX

Abed opened the front door, waving them inside. "Come in." As Jeff and Annie rushed in they followed Abed to the spare bedroom Chang used to live in before he moved out. "He's in here. He's stable, but he's weak. He said he was held captive for the last two years."

"Who did this?" Annie said.

"He wouldn't say. He said there were things he needed to tell all of us and he wouldn't say anything until everyone was here."

As they walked into the bedroom Jeff quietly acknowledged Britta, Troy and Shirley. But Annie's eyes were just on the man lying in the bed. She rushed forward and knelt next to him. "Pierce." She tried to control her tears as he took hold of her hand. "Oh, Pierce."

"Annie." He smiled up at her. "How's things? "

Everyone nervously laughed at how seemingly normal a question it was. Pierce looked at Annie's hand and spotted the gold band on her finger. "Is that…"

Annie nervously gasped as she glanced at her ring. "Yea. We got married a few months ago."

"That's great Annie. Though Jeff, I hope this isn't just a further ploy to cover up your gayness."

Jeff simply chuckled at that, glad to see that after everything Pierce hadn't changed all that much. "I'm glad you're here Pierce."

"He's stable for now." Jeff and Annie looked over at Pierce's personal doctor, noticing him for the first time. "As I told you Mr. Hawthorne, you seem to be doing well under the circumstances. Though I myself thought I was going crazy when I was told you were alive. You're malnourished, so I'm going to keep you on a glucose IV drip overnight and I've left you some Spirulina tablets to take for the next few days. I also recommend you start exercising within the next few days to build up your strength, say using light hand weights to start. I'll come by tomorrow to check up on you. Mr. and Mrs. Nadir, call me if there's any problem."

Pierce waited until the doctor left before he scoffed. "What does that quack know? I feel fine. I told him I wanted a steak dinner and he said 'you need to go slow on your food intake'. Like he knows anything. Well, since you'll all here I might as well tell you what happened. I'm sure you're first wondering why I'm here if you saw me dead. Well-."

"You had a evil twin, right?" Troy slumped as everyone looked at him. "What? You guys told me Chang had one."

"It's not an evil twin Troy. It's much more complicated than that. You see, the reason you thought I was dead was-."

"The you that was killed was a Pierce from another dimension." Abed said.

Pierce stammered in disbelief. "You know about that?"

"Yes Pierce, we know all about that. We met some of them last month." Britta said.

"We were attacked by evil versions of Abed, Annie and myself. And then we met other versions of Abed and Annie from another dimension." Shirley said. 

"That's what led to Annie getting super powers." Troy said in wonder.

Pierce looked at Annie in shock. "You have super powers?"

She slunk into herself a little before nodding her head. "The evil version of me tried to kill me. And to save me the other not evil Annie forced me to kill her while I was barely conscious and now…"

"Jeeze. You're gone for a couple years and suddenly everything goes topsy turby. Are computers still around or has that fad finally run its course?"

"Pierce, focus. Who did this to you?" Britta said.

Pierce sighed deeply before he looked over at Jeff. "The person that did this to me was your father Jeff."

Everyone nervously looked at Jeff as he looked at Pierce with an expressionless face. "Pierce, if this is some kind of joke. If this is another sick game like when you gave us bequeathals…" He said in a low dangerous voice.

"Jeff, I swear this time I'm not making it up. Your father, William Winger, was the one who kidnapped me and had a me from another dimension killed so no one would look for me. He's also the one behind your evil versions hunting down and killing each of your other dimensional selves. He's at least recruited the evil versions of Annie, Jeff, A-bed and Troy. And from what I heard he forced a version of Britta to kill a few versions of herself. "

Jeff leaned against the wall in shock, trying to absorb what he just heard. Annie got up and went over to him. "Jeff…" Jeff held up a hand, silently asking her to give him a moment. She went back over to Pierce and sat down in a chair next to the bed. "Why did he want you?"

"He wanted me because of what I knew about different dimensions. That and this book he wanted."

"Osbourne's book." Abed said.

"You know about that too?" Pierce said.

"Wait, YOU knew about it! About all of it!" Jeff angrily said as he pushed himself off the wall.

"My family and the Osbourne family collaborated together on studying the occult. I was told that at some point a object would be used that would split reality into several different dimensions, creating several different versions of us. I had no idea when it would be used, for all I knew it wouldn't even be in my lifetime. I just knew at some point it would be used."

Shirley shook her head in frustration. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Shirley, my family stopped associating with the Osbourne's when I was still a kid. And I never personally participated in their discussions and practices. I had pretty much put all of that behind me. And Jeff, I had no idea your father was involved in any of this."

"So why did he want you?" Abed asked.

"It seems I knew more then I realized. When I was a boy I often overheard meetings that were held at my home. I had forgotten most of what I heard. But, it seems William had ways of extracting the information from me, even if it was buried deep in my memory. The main thing he wanted from me was how to get the book, because no matter what he tried he couldn't find it."

"I thought Starburns knew where the book was?" Shirley said.

"He did Shirley. But William didn't know that. Through me he found out that a powerful spell had been put on the book so only a Osbourne could disclose the location of the book. And that the information on the location could only be given over freely. I'm guessing it was a security plan in case someone else tried to get that book."

"I um, I went to see Starburns last month and he told me where the book was located." Shirley said.

"Yes. But William manipulated things so you would go to Starburns and ask for it. He left evidence of the book's existence for the other A-bed to find so he would tell you. And knowing your history with Starburns, William knew you would be able to guilt him into revealing the location of the book."

Shirley shook her head in shock as the realization on how she had been manipulated to help Jeff's father hit her. "I feel so used. How could…"

"It's what he does." Jeff slowly said. "He's skilled at getting exactly what he wants. Most of the time anyway…"

"Well, what does he want?" Troy asked Pierce.

"He already has the book. So right now he wants all six dimensional powers. To have super strength, super speed, be able to create fire and ice, read minds, move objects with his mind, and be invulnerable to physical harm. I figured out that he helped to create the dimensional conduit, which means he has no other selves and can't get the powers that way. The only thing he can do is have someone else get all of them. Then he can extract them for himself."

"That's why our evil selves have been gaining the powers. So he can take them for himself." Annie said as the realization hit her.

"If he gets all those abilities along with the knowledge of that book, nothing will be able to stop him."

Jeff took a deep breath as he resigned himself to the confrontation that now had to occur. "Then we have to make sure he's stopped before that happens. Pierce, where is he?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

William screamed as he threw another bottle of liquor at the wall. He didn't even care that he was wasting the good stuff. He was furious.

"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!"

"I don't know." Evil Annie said as she nervously swayed, inching back to stay out of his way.

"He was chained up in the basement. Even if he got out of his restraints there's no way he could have gotten out of the mansion."

"It is his mansion. Maybe he knew something you didn't.

William shrieked in rage as he pulled at his hair. By now Pierce must have told his band of annoying heroes that he was behind all of this. Soon they would come storming here. He couldn't afford to face anyone. Even if he could take them there were still so many uncertainties. He wasn't going to chance anything until he got the dimensional powers and was truly untouchable.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He wasn't used to feeling nervous. He always took everything into consideration. Something unexpected happening wasn't something he had had to deal with in a while.

You're fine, he thought. This doesn't have to change anything. You just need to move up your timetable.

Just then a flash of light appeared in the room, followed with Evil Jeff appearing. He smiled as he pocketed the device that allowed him to jump between dimensions. "It's done. I killed him and obtained the power to read minds. I now just need to kill this realm's Jeff and I'll have all six."

William frowned as he saw that Evil Jeff was staring intently at him. After a moment he chuckled as he realized what was happening. "You really thought I wouldn't take precautions knowing you would be in my presence with the power to read minds." He tapped his temple a few times. "Mental cloaking spell. Now, it's time to put operation hero take down into action. Go get the orange potion on the third shelf in the library."

Evil Jeff glared at William before he begrudgingly left the room. "Annie, go change into your outfit."

"OK." Evil Annie started walking when she suddenly turned around. "Sir, do we really need him? He's just going to try and kill you once he has all six powers. I'm more then capable of killing this dimensions Annie and getting every power. You don't need him."

"Are you talking back to me?" The smile left her face as he stared down at her. "You seem to forget your place girl. Maybe you feel you've grown too comfortable because I share a bit more information with you. Maybe you need to be reminded of where you came from."

"Sir, I didn't mean-."

"SILENCE!" Evil Annie squeaked as he advanced towards her. "When I found you you were locked in an insane asylum, barely able to crawl out of your bed. You were so 'upset' because your gun accidently killed that stupid old man that you could hardly form a coherent thought. I gave you your mind and freedom back. But I'm starting to think you don't deserve it."

"NO PLEASE. I'M SORRY! I'LL-."

"Revertere!" Instantly Evil Annie dropped to the floor, twitching like a wounded insect. William watched her for several moments before he snapped his fingers. "Recro!" Slowly Evil Annie pulled herself to her feet, breathing heavily. "You see. I gave you your sanity back. And I can take it away just as easily if I choose to. Do NOT question me again. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now go change."

William shook his head as she left the room. Insubordination was running rapid. And the idea that he would have just one person obtain all six powers was absurd. He wasn't about to put all of his eggs in one basket again. He already did that once and it didn't work out.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_William waited outside the hospital for Richard Stephenson to step out. The good doctor was currently attending a meeting on improved surgical techniques. He may come off as a selfless do-gooder, but William knew the truth. He had demons inside of him that just needed to be nudged out. El Tigre had already done most of the work for him. Now he just had to finish it. _

_He had observed the Rich's from all seven dimensions before he decided on the one that would work best. At first he figured he'd go with the one from the 'evil' dimension. But that one was currently on death row for the convicted rape and murder of eight women. This one would be easier to both use and manipulate. _

_Just then the lobby door open and Rich stepped out. He let him walk for a few moments before approaching him. "Mr. Stephenson." _

"_Yes. Can I help you?" _

"_More importantly, I can help you." _

"_I'm not sure what help you can offer me. I'm doing fine right now." _

"_Really? You're happy walking around all the happy regular people, when you know you're nothing like them." He smiled as Rich stopped and looked at him. "I'm well aware on your feelings on humanity and on yourself. You hide it well, but I'm well aware of it." _

"_Look sir. I don't know who you are-." _

"_No you don't, Mr. Stephenson. But you do know my associate Bernard Chang. Oh yes, I know all about what you two have been trying to accomplish. Making people into mindless savages." He put his arm around Rich as he pulled him closer. "I can help you. If I understand you two have already figured out how to make people into savages. But you haven't figured out a way to get people to willingly want to take the drug. I can help you with that." _

_Rich looked at William as some of the darkness he struggled to keep in check surfaced. "So, you would make people want to be animals." _

"_I can make them want to take the drug. The rest will happen on its own." He waited as Rich thought about what he said. "You'll be the only one with sight in the land of the blind. The only sane one of a mass of mindless Cretans. What's more I can make you better. You already believe you are special and better then people. Well, I know how to make you a genuine god. I know how to make you be able to punch through steel, run as fast as a bullet. That and much more." _

_Rich looked at him, amazed at what he was hearing. It sounded crazy. And yet…" Ok, what do I have to do?" _

"_Am I to take it you're willing to accept my help?" _

_Rich held out his hand as they shook on their arrangement. "Yes, I am." _

_XXXXXXXXXXXX_

"_I'm sorry. You're what?" _

"_I'm ending our partnership William." _

_William tried to control his anger as he looked at Rich's smug face. After all he had done the little shit was just abandoning him. Clearly he had underestimated his Messiah complex. _

"_Look, I appreciate all you've done for me. But the truth is I don't need you anymore. The sunshine pulls are ready to be distributed to the public. That's all I was interested in." _

"_You can't be serious. I'm offering you the chance to do incredible things." _

_Rich picked up a medal bar and easily bent it in half. "I already can." _

"_You've only acquired two powers. With a little more effort you'll be able to move things with your mind, read thoughts, become invincible." _

"_Listen, that's well and good. But I can already kill anyone I'd need to. I joined you to turn people into mindless zombies. Not kill versions of myself for some reason you've failed to tell me. So thank you. But this is goodbye." _

_William kept his rage in check as he looked into the doctor's eyes. He longed to pull a gun out and shoot him right between the eyes. But even if Rich was abandoning his plan, he realized the guy could still be useful. By turning the people of Greendale into zombies it would keep everyone distracted while he formulated how to find the book. _

"_Ok Richard. It's been a pleasure working with you. Take care." _

_He waited until Rich left before he turned to the closet. "Ok, you can come out now." The door opened and El Tigre stepped out. "You are to continue working with him. If he decides to reveal anything about me or other dimensions do whatever you have to do to silence him. Otherwise let him do whatever plan he has to create chaos." _

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Here it is." Evil Jeff said as he came in holding the orange potion."

"Drink it."

Evil Jeff looked at the potion, and then at his father as if he was crazy.

"I'm not asking you twice. It's necessary for the plan to work."

With a sigh of reluctance Evil Jeff unscrewed the top and drank it in one gulp. Instantly he gripped his body as he felt himself begin to change. His already muscled physique grew more bulky as his face shifted like liquid wax. Just as suddenly as the changes started they stopped as the pain subsided. Slowly he made his way over to a mirror, where he gasped in shock. He now had the body of Lou Ferrigno, with a face that resembled Paul Giamatti's.

"This isn't permanent, is it?" He said as he looked at his robotic arm, which was the only part of him that remained intact.

"It will ware off in about twelve hours. Your precious looks won't be sullied forever." William smiled as Evil Annie walked into room, wearing a replica Bright Eyes leather outfit. "Perfect. You look exactly like her. Now remember, he's not to die until the news crews are there. His death needs to be plastered on the nightly news for this to work."

As they left William grabbed several potion ingredients and started mixing them together in a large glass. Once he was done he pricked his finger and added a few drops of blood as the final ingredient.

"Let this space become sealed to all but the worthy. Let this household be barred to all but the chosen. May none except for those of the house of Winger be able to enter. Let it be protected from strangers and outsiders. Let it be a stronghold to those who matter!"

He smashed the glass on the floor, shuttering as he felt a rush of energy spread out all around him. While nothing appeared different, the manor was now magically barred to anyone that wasn't part of the Winger family. This now meant that even if Pierce and his superhero friends came storming here, they would be unable to enter.


	5. Chapter 4

When Jeff woke up he saw that Annie wasn't next to him in bed. At first he thought she had gotten up early to train or do something for work. But as he rubbed his eyes he heard movement in the kitchen. And since Britta wasn't living there anymore it had to be Annie. He threw on a robe before walking into the kitchen.

"Morning."

"Oh, morning Jeff." She opened the oven and pulled out a pan before setting it on the counter.

"What you making there?"

"Blueberry muffins. They're for Pierce."

"I thought he didn't eat blueberries. Something about them going against the beliefs of that damn cult of his."

"Well, he eats them when I make them. So I made him a batch."

Jeff reached over to pick the corner off of one when she slapped his hand away.

"OW!"

She brought her hands to her face in horror as she realized what she did. "Oh god, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. That wasn't super strength crushing Annie pain. That was just annoying slap Jeff's hand away pain. Seriously, is that a prerequisite if you're a woman who bakes? Because Shirley does the same thing whenever I'm in the kitchen with her. "

"Oh. Well, I'm still sorry."

"It's ok."

"Jeff-"

"Annie, it's ok." As she looked at him she knew he wasn't just talking about slapping his hand away. "So, you're seeing Pierce after work?"

"No, I'm calling in sick. I wouldn't be able to get anything done if I went in today. I'd just be looking at the clock waiting to leave."

"Ok." He leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. "I'm going to get a quick run in. If you're gone when I get back tell Pierce I have a conference call at 10 but I'll stop by to visit after it's over."

As soon as he got in the bedroom he inspected his hand. Truthfully it hurt more than it would have if she had done that a month ago. But he wasn't going to say anything. Things were just starting to return to a sense of normalcy with them. And she would probably always be nervous she would accidently hurt him. So unless something happened where he truly was hurt, he wasn't going to say anything if she was accidently a little rough with him.

Despite being fully aware that she would take care of herself, he couldn't help being protective of her. The thought of anything happening to her tore him up inside. So he made sure she was protected. In ways she herself didn't even realize.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Jeff pounded on the door at Hawthorne manor as he pressed the intercom. "Pierce, its Jeff. It's raining pretty hard out here. Can I come in?" He waited a few more minutes, pulling his jacket over his head to try and save his hair, before the door opened. He had expected a butler or staff member to answer the door. Instead to his surprise Pierce was standing in the foyer. _

"_Jeffrey. Well this is a surprise. Come in, come in." _

_He followed Pierce as they went into his den. "Drink Jeff?" _

"_No thanks." _

"_You sure? I just got a bottle of Jubilee brandy. Very rare and hard to find. And I have some Cuban cigars if you're so inclined." _

"_Pierce. I want you to train Annie." _

_Pierce stopped looking through the liquor cabinet as he slowly turned around. "What?" _

"_I want you to train Annie to fight. To be able to patrol." _

"_Well why would…I mean, Annie doesn't patrol. She does tech work. She finds information on criminals and crimes." _

"_Well, she wants to patrol and be an active superhero now. She said that now that Abed and Shirley have retired because of Aaron the city could use another hero out there." _

"_Jeff, I don't think-." _

"_Pierce, you trained Troy." _

"_Yes, and I've regretted it ever since." Pierce looked at Jeff with true seriousness in his eyes. "Jeff, we both know that being a superhero is dangerous and you're essentially putting your life on the line each time you go out there. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not glad those days are behind me. Every time Troy patrols I know that I'm the reason he's risking his life. And if anything happens to him it's my fault. I won't do it again. Especially to Annie." _

_Jeff sighed deeply as he ran his hand through his wet hair. "She's already gone out." He continued as he saw Pierce tense up in fear. "She's already gone patrolling twice. The first time was with me. The second time she went out by herself. She thinks she's fine because of those self defense classes she took. But if she's going to do this she'll need real training. She needs to be properly prepared to face whatever is out there." _

"_Jeff, do you want her to be out there patrolling?" _

"_Pierce, it-." _

"_No, I'm asking you to tell me if you want her out there patrolling. You two have been together for years, at this point marriage is just a question of when. Can you honestly tell me you're all right with her doing this?"_

_Pierce waited as Jeff was silent for several moments. "No. If you want me to be honest then no, I don't want Annie out there patrolling. But I know she's going to go out regardless of what I say. When she truly puts her mind to something she's going to do it. It's both infuriating and what I love about her. So if she's going to do this. If she really is committed to being a superhero, then I need to make sure she's prepared for what's out there. So Pierce, I'm asking you, to please make sure she's prepared." _

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Great speech Mr. Laybourne. You're really nailing it with your promise to end the vigilante plague that's taken over the city. When election time comes you'll be swept into office. Now, you have a meeting with the labor union at two, and I think you should-."

"Thank you Bideos. But I'd like a few moments to myself now."

'Ok Mr. Laybourne. I'll be in my office if you need-."

Robert Laybourne sighed deeply as he shut the door. Campaigning for mayor was a grueling job. They weren't anywhere near the election and already he was exhausted. But it would all be worth it when he was in office.

He poured himself a glass of whiskey, not caring that it wasn't even noon. As he brought the glass to his lips he thought about how lucky he was that Lieutenant Kane was killed last month. It wasn't that he was a sadist or hated Marshal Kane or anything like that. They had met several times, and while they hadn't exactly been friends, he had always respected the man. But his death had just been the catalyst he needed to get into office. It made people grow wary of their city being protected by vigilantes. And he was able to use that uncertainty to build a campaign that would get him elected. If anything Kane would be glad that his death was being used to rid the city of vigilantes. He had hated people who took the law into their own hands about as much as Laybourne did. If it had been the other way around he hoped Kane would have used his death to rid the city of the decay that had taken it over.

He groaned as he heard a knock at the door. "Bideos, I told you. I'll discuss the meeting in a few-." He opened the door, and gasped at what he saw. A large man with a robotic arm was holding a dead Bideos in his human arm. He threw the body inside as he marched into the room.

"Hello Robert. I've seen you a lot in the paper. Well, I'm here to tell you that tomorrow you will make your final appearance. In the obituaries."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie sat in the chair by the bed thumbing through her magazine. When she got there Abed told her Pierce was still asleep. She said she'd wait until he woke up, though after two hours she was growing restless.

She couldn't begin to describe how happy and grateful she was that Pierce was alive. While he always seemed to like her, they had grown very close in the years since they graduated Greendale. It was because of him that she was able to defend Greendale from criminals and stop those who sought to cause harm.

She put down her magazine as she saw Pierce stir. "Pierce?"

"Annie. How long have you been here?"

"A few hours. I made you muffins." She reached in her bag and gave him the container she brought. "I had a couple and they came out pretty good."

"Thank you." He opened the container and bit into one. "These are good."

She waited until he swallowed his mouthful before she started talking. "Pierce, there were so many times I wished you had been around to help me. I can't begin to tell you-."

"From what A-bed says you've done some amazing things all by yourself. You helped to take out a vicious drug ring headed by Rich. You stopped Leonard from putting high powered weapons on the streets. I'm proud of you Annie. You've really come into your own."

Annie wiped the tears from her eyes as she practically beamed from what Pierce just said. But after a moment the smile left her face as the thing that had been bugging her for the past two days spilled out. "Pierce, two nights ago something happened to me. I met a Britta from another universe. I had to use the Hawthorne stare on her and when I did I felt a yellow light go into me. The very same light that appears when you kill one of your other dimensional selves. And afterwards, I could run so fast I appear to be a blur. Pierce, why did doing the stare make me gain additional powers?"

"Because Annie, that's what the Hawthorne stare can do." He continued as she looked at him in shock. "Its main function was to incapacitate people. But it was discovered it could also be used to obtain dimensional powers. If you use the stare on someone who has powers they are copied to you, and whatever power level they are at you yourself will advance to. Can you create fire or move objects with your mind?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Then the Britta you encountered was only at level 2. Which means you now have two powers instead of one."

"So, I can…" As she thought about what she heard her eyes widened in horror. "Oh god, that means…the other Annie didn't have to die. I didn't…"

"No Annie. The Hawthorne stare only allows you to copy other powers. To heal from injuries you would have to fully take in a power level. It would truly have to be absorbed. The only way you could have been saved was if she had died."

Annie shook her head, looking like a child having a fit. "I can't, I can't do this. I don't want these abilities." Her eyes widened as a sudden idea came to her. "Can I use the Hawthorne stare to give up my powers. Can I use it to pass them to someone else, so they can fully absorb them?"

Pierce stammered as he thought it over. "I um, I don't know. It was never intended to pass powers to others. But maybe, with enough will and determination-." He suddenly stopped talking as Annie stared deep into Pierce's eyes. She concentrated harder then she normally did, pushing herself into it. Take it, she thought. Leave me and go into him, I don't want it anymore. She continued concentrating as her head started to hurt. The pain continued to build until she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"AW!" she held her head as Pierce shook his. "Did it work?"

"Did, did what work?"

Frantically Annie looked around until she saw a medal baseball bat lying in the corner. "Here, try to bend this in half."

"Annie-."

"Please!"

Pierce took the bat and pushed down at both ends. But the bat stayed in the exact same shape. She shrieked in rage. "IT DIDN'T WORK!"

The door opened as Abed stuck his head in." Is everything all right?"

"It's fine A-bed."

Still frowning Abed closed the door as Pierce looked at Annie. "Annie, please look at me."

She looked at Pierce as she tried to control her shaking. "Pierce, I can't. I can't have this in me. I'm not strong enough to handle it."

"Well, now you're just lying to yourself. Even if you don't realize it right now, you can handle this. Annie, you are one of the strongest people I've ever met. You continually risen up time and time again, and that was before you started patrolling. You meet challenges and conquer them. Annie, if there is anyone who can handle this, it's you."

"Pierce, look at me. I continually fuck things up. I got addicted to Adderall because I couldn't handle the pressure of school. I rewarded the amazing friendship of the group by trying to force everyone to fail Spanish. I messed up on that Intel about Duncan and almost got Abed killed. I'll just mess this up, like I eventually mess everything up."

"Annie, the true mark of strength isn't never making a mistake or doing something bad. It's being able to rise up when you've fallen or are faced with overwhelming adversity. When it comes to that, no one does it better then you. Yes, you became addicted to Adderall. But you also put yourself through rehab and got clean on your own with no support. Yes you almost had us fail Spanish. But you also confronted Chang about it, on your own. Yes you made a mistake on the info for Duncan's plan. But you figured out where he actually was so A-bed could be saved. That doesn't sound like someone who fucks it up. That sounds like someone who rises up and learns from their mistakes. "

As Annie listened to Pierce's words, finally beginning to believe them herself, Britta suddenly burst into the room, followed by Abed. "Guys, we're got trouble."

"What is it?"

Britta pulled out a police radio and turned the volume up. ::All units, report to the Hyperion office at once. We've got a call that Robert Laybourne is currently being held captive by an unknown assailant. Management says the suspect is a man with a robotic arm. Wait a moment. I just heard that the vigilante Bright Eyes has arrived at the scene. Show extreme caution and be prepared to arrest her if anything happens.::

Annie stared at the radio in shock as she vaguely heard Abed talk. "Evil Jeff and Evil Annie have kidnapped Laybourne, with Evil Annie dressed up as Bright Eyes. While we don't know what they want, it probably has to do with his stance on vigilantism…"

His words became drowned out as anger began to take Annie over. This evil version of herself had already taken so much from her. But now she was threatening to tarnish her reputation as a crimefighter. "NO!" Everyone quickly silenced as they looked at Annie. "I won't let her do this. I'm not going to let her do horrible things in the name of my superhero self. I'm going to stop her." With that she quickly marched out of the room.

"Annie, wait." She stopped as Britta and Abed approached her.

"You're not stopping me."

"Who said anything about stopping you? We're going with you." Britta said.

Abed pushed open a hidden storage space on the wall, revealing spares of all six of their costumes. "We need to hurry. Because whatever they have planed is going to happen soon."

"Annie!" Annie quickly walked back into Pierce's room as he propped himself up. "Annie, listen to me. The Hawthorne stare doesn't let you copy powers from your own other selves. If you use it on Evil Annie you won't be able to copy her powers."

"Pierce, thank you. But if I'm going to take that bitch's abilities, it's not going to be from staring at her."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You should be proud." Evil Jeff said as he paced in front of a bound and gagged Laybourne. "You've been so adamant about cracking down on vigilante crime fighters. Well, you're wish is about to come true. Your death will be blamed on the interference of vigilantes and will be the final catalyst needed for every masked crime fighter to be hunted down and either killed or arrested."

The door was kicked open and Evil Annie marched in wearing her makeshift Bright Eyes costume. Evil Jeff glared at her as she struck a mocking pose. "Did you make sure the police saw you enter?"

"Yes, I'm not an idiot you putz." As they heard the police run up the stairs she waved her hand. They screamed as the staircase collapsed to the ground floor. Laybourne's eyes widened in fear as she smiled at him. "It's just you and us big boy."

Just then the windows on the side smashed in, following by Annie, Britta and Abed swinging through them. "Get away from him you bitch!" Annie screamed.

"Well since I'm you, I guess that makes you one also." With that both Annie's jumped at each other, crashing into one another in mid air. Annie sprang back up and pulled out a pair of sharpened Sais as Evil Annie mentally threw objects in the room at her. Annie blocked the objects, her arms a literal blur as the objects flew in all directions. She jumped in the air as Evil Annie waved a hand and threw a heavy wooden desk at her. Annie kicked the desk, reducing it to a pile of splintered wood.

Britta pulled out her pair of handguns and fired at Evil Jeff, who zipped around the room in a blur to avoid them. "Hey Jeff, are you going to keep that face forever?" She quickly leaped out of the way as he snarled and charged at her, his metal arm formed into a blade. She rolled on the ground and jumped up, firing at him. One of her bullets hit his metal arm, which began at spark and malfunction. He grabbed it as he mentally lifted Britta up and roughly slammed her onto the floor.

Abed ran over to Laybourne and pulled the tape off of his mouth. "Sir, it's ok. We're here to rescue you."

"Get me out of here! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Abed pulled a knife out and quickly cut Laybourne's restraints. Sensing someone approach he pulled out a collapsible baton and swung it in the air just as Evil Jeff swung his human arm at Abed. He hit Evil Jeff's body repeatedly before he grabbed Laybourne and pulled him out of the way. He managed to get them behind an overturned cabinet as Evil Jeff threw a barrage of fire balls at it, causing the metal to glow orange with heat.

Evil Jeff yelled out as his metal arm was again hit with a bullet. He looked to his side and just had time to move out of the way as Britta shot at him. Seeing that both opponents were distracted Abed pulled Laybourne to the window and fired one of Britta's grappling hooks onto a nearby ledge.

"Just hold onto me and I'll get you to the ground sir."

"This doesn't change anything."

Abed looked at him for a moment before he clipped the gun to his belt and grabbed Laybourne. Before the man could protect Abed jumped out of the window, swinging through the air like Batman.

As Evil Jeff stopped moving as fast as a blur he looked around the room and saw that Laybourne was no longer in it. "Fucking Shit!" He took a running start and swan dived out of the window, just barely avoiding being hit as Britta shot at him.

Britta spun around and pointed her guns towards the two Annie's. Both women had their arms around each other as they struggled to strangle the other one. And with their identical outfits it was impossible for Britta to know who was who.

As they struggled Annie looked out of the corner of her eye, seeing Britta pointing her guns towards them. "Britta, I need a new sex toy!" Instantly Britta remembered lunch and what Annie had told her then. Before they could move she fired at the Annie to the left, hitting her in the side. Evil Annie screamed as she threw herself off of Annie, moving at lightning speed as Britta continued to fire at her.

Just as Annie tore off her glove to expose her burn mark she heard an empty click, meaning Britta was out of bullets. As Britta holstered her empty guns they both looked up as the ceiling started to shake and crack. Evil Annie laughed as she mentally pulled at the ceiling. Annie looked around, trying to figure out how to get out of there. Knowing there wasn't any time she grabbed Britta and before she could think jumped out of the window. They fell through the air before they hit an awning, which broke their fall before they hit the ground.

As they pulled themselves up the people outside screamed as the top of the building collapsed into itself. Not wanting to take any chances they ran down the street. Britta quickly stopped Annie when she saw a Saleen Twin Turbo. Before Annie could say anything Britta elbowed the window, shattering it as she got in and started hot wiring the car.

"Br-Anarchy, this is stealing and defacing property."

"Right now we need this more than the owner does." She grinned as the engine roared to life. "Jeff is going to be so jealous. This thing can go 250 miles an hour."

A small figure smashed into the ground beside them, with Annie and Britta realizing that it was Evil Annie. Knowing she had to help her friend Annie waved her arms and jumped around. "How, come and get me why don't you? Let's see who can get those powers." With that Annie started running just as a reluctant Britta sped off in the supped up car.

Annie only got past several blocks when she realized Evil Annie wasn't following her. As she paused to think a terrible thought came to her. "No. She wouldn't." Annie ran back in the opposite direction and saw that her suspicions were horrifyingly true.

Instead of going after Annie Evil Annie was instead chasing Britta. Britta was weaving through the streets like an Indy 500 driver, and Evil Annie was easily keeping up with her on foot. Annie raced to catch up with them as several police cars sped after the car. Evil Annie threw several fire balls at the police cars before she jumped and landed on the roof of Britta's car. With her bare hands she punched right through the metal and ripped a large chunk of the roof clean off. Britta violently swerved, forcing Evil Annie to dig her fingers into the metal to hang on. Seeing her chance Annie gave a burst of speed and jumped high in the air. But just as she reached Evil Annie the evil doppelganger threw a fire ball at her. Annie threw her arms in front of her as it hit her, badly burning her hands and right arm. She crashed to the ground just as the car approached the same bridge she had been on just a few nights ago. Just before the car reached the bridge Evil Annie jumped off and waved her hand towards the car, mentally pressing down on the acceleration pedal. Britta tried to slow down and turn out of the way, but she had no control of the car. As Annie watched in horror the car smashed through the bridge and crashed into the water, where with impossible speed it completely sank within seconds.

"BRITTA!" Annie ran to the bridge, making it there in only moments. Without breaking stride Annie leaped off the bridge and dove into the water. Ignoring the pain from her burns she furiously swam towards the sinking car. But the car was sinking faster then she could swim and reluctantly she swam to the surface for air.

As soon as her head broke the water she heard shouts, following by gunfire. She quickly dove again, swimming to avoid the bullets that whizzed by her. She tried swimming towards the car but the bullets prevented her from going in that direction. Reluctantly she swam further out, only surfacing a moment for air before diving again. She did this three times until she was far enough where the police couldn't see or shoot at her.

As she watched them in the distance she felt her eyes sting. As she wiped them she realized they weren't stinging from the water, but from her tears. As she treaded water she cried for the loss of her friend. Of her sister. Of Anarchy. Of Britta.


	6. Chapter 5

William stood in the library seething in anger. Once again his plans had been thwarted by the super heroed study group. He didn't understand how this had happened. He had watched the news and no news crews had shown up until the building started collapsing. There was no way they should have known about this until Laybourne was dead and they were too late. But somehow they had been able to stop him.

He was always prepared. He always thought out every scenario until he had complete control over what would happen. But lately he had to admit to himself that he was slipping. First Pierce escaped right under his nose and now this. The future vision spell he had cast showed Laybourne being killed and that leading to all the city's vigilantes being hunted down and imprisoned. It was fated to happen. And yet that wasn't the outcome of tonight.

He held Osbourne's book as he stared at it. The book had given him great power and even greater insight then even he had imagined it would. But that nagging fear of him losing it still hung in his mind. That's it, he thought. He was so worried about losing the book that it was affecting his spell casting and judgment. He had to figure out a way to ensure that the power of that book never left him. Pierce should have told him how to bind it to him. But instead he mocked him by telling him…

Just then William paused as he remembered Pierce's words. "_Why don't you try eating it?_" At the time he took it as just an insult. But now…

As William held the book and concentrated it glowed with crackling red energy. As he brought the book towards his face the energy began to elongate his mouth, like a snake unhinging its jaw. He slowly pushed the book into his engorged mouth. Once he had it completely inside him he felt it dissolve completely into energy. He took a big swallow and it completely dissolved into him.

For a moment he stood there immensely proud of his accomplishment. But then he felt a violent spasm hit him. His body gave out another shutter as sweat ran down his face. Breathing hard he fell to the ground as his entire body was wracked with pain. He looked at his hands as they began to glow with a weird light.

Holding himself tightly he willed himself to control the power within. After several moments his body relaxed as the tremors and pain subsided. But rather than feeling relived William was apprehensive. Somehow he knew this was not the end of his suffering, but rather just the beginning.

I've made a mistake, William gravely thought. The power from that book was too great to contain in a carcass of flesh. It would continue to build within him until it destroyed him.

As William took a deep breath to calm himself he knew what he had to do. Before he simply wanted the dimensional powers to become an all powerful supreme being. But now he would need to obtain them to ensure his own survival. As he rose he began to form a plan on how to best go about it.

He wouldn't send them both out. While the chance of both of them being killed was next to impossible, it was still a possibility. He would send only one out, while the other was kept here.

"ANNIE! GET IN HERE!" Evil Annie came into the room, wearing her usual black dress and holding her bandaged side. Willing his body not to spasm William handed her three stoppered viles; one full of a grey potion, one full of a clear potion, and the last one filled with a black potion. "Listen carefully and do exactly what I am about to tell you."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff didn't even try hiding his tears as he sat in Abed and Shirley's living room. Not that it mattered since everyone else was equally upset. Shirley and Troy were loudly sobbing, while Pierce's face was etched in sadness. Rather than make any pop culture observations Abed had barely said anything. Instead he sat next to Shirley rubbing her back while his eyes clearly gave away how pained he was by the loss of their friend.

So far neither the news nor the police scanner had made any mention of Britta's death or finding her body. Besides them the only one who knew about Britta's death was Chang. Abed had told him what happened and asked him to watch over Aaron for the night. When Chang came to pick up the child he was surprisingly respectful, and actually listened when Abed told him in no uncertain terms that he was not to say anything to Aaron until after his parents spoke to him in the morning.

Jeff got up and went over to Annie, who was sitting in the corner with her knees drawn into her. While her eyes were red and puffy she wasn't crying at the moment. He sat down next to her and just sat there, looking off into nothing. It took Jeff several moments to even register that Annie had put her arm around him and pulled him into her.

He felt her wipe his tears away with her fingers as he shook with emotion. "I shouldn't have given her so much crap. I was always giving her digs and insulting her. And now…"

"Jeff, look at me." Jeff turned to Annie and looked at her. Although she too was shaking she appeared far calmer then he did right now. "She loved you. And she was well aware that you loved her too. You two were like siblings. You fought and bickered but both clearly loved each other in spite of it."

As she rubbed her hands together (which had been healed by Abed's Essence of Dittany solution) a cloudlike ball of light flew into the room. As it stretched to the length of a television screen Evil Annie's face appeared on it. 'By now you must know that your world's Britta is dead and that I am the cause. This continued battle with your world's counterparts is both exhausting and unproductive. So I speak directly to the Annie of this world. Meet me in front of Harmon plaza within a half hour. Come alone and we can finally finish this. Within a half hour.' With that the cloud image compressed and completely disappeared.

They all looked at each other in shock before Jeff stood up. "Screw that." He marched over to Abed's costume unit and opened it.

"Jeff, what are you doing?" Annie said as she marched over to him.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going with you."

"I don't think…"

"What! You honestly think you're going to listen to her and go alone. That's what she wants!"

"And what if THIS is what she wants Jeff. Think about it. If she really wanted you or anyone else to come the surest way to ensure it would be to tell us to do the opposite. She's manipulating us."

"Well she is you, so you would know!"

While the remark stung she bit back her retort giving the circumstance. "Jeff, I'm telling you, she wants you or all of us there. That's why she specifically told me to come alone, so people would come with me."

"Well I don't care! I am not going to let you face her by yourself!"

"It's not your choice to make!"

"So what, you're going to physically stop me!"

Annie's eyes blazed in rage over Jeff actually mocking her super strength over this."YOU ASSHOLE SON OF A-."

"ENOGHT!" Instantly they were silenced as Troy rose up from the couch. "THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR FIGHTING!"

As they all looked at Troy in shock over his outburst Shirley cleared her throat, giving both Jeff and Annie a look that could kill. "Both of you are too emotional about this, so I'm making the decision for you. I am going to Harmon plaza to face that bitch, and ANYONE else who wants to go can join me, REGUARDLESS of what anyone else says. Are we clear?"

She waited as first Abed nodded his head. Followed by Troy, then Pierce, and finally Jeff and Annie. "Ok then. Suit up and lets go."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The six of them walked apprehensively as they approached Harmon plaza. They kept expecting something to come leaping out at them. But so far they hadn't seen anything.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Annie nervously said.

"Cool, Star Wars." Abed almost impulsively said.

"Where is she?" Troy said as he looked around.

"Keep your eyes open. She's probably around here somewhere." Jeff said.

"You've got that right!" They all turned around as Evil Annie leaped in front of them. "You really are predictable. I'm surprised at you Annie. I would have thought you would have guessed this was my plan."

Annie kept her face blank, determined not to let Evil Annie know she had gotten her way despite Annie seeing through her ruse. "Six against one. Those are good odds in our favor."

"Well, I'll have to even them out. But first." Evil Annie pulled out the vile with the black potion and threw it at Annie. Before she could move Jeff dove in front of her, the potion exploding all over him. Instantly a black hole appeared next to him and sucked Jeff into it. Annie frantically reached for him, but he slipped from her grasp. She could only cry out as the hole took Jeff before it disappeared.

Evil Annie cackled at Annie's frantic face. "I know it, I know it would work. You two are so predictable! Try to hurt one and the other leaps in to save them. It's wonderfully pathetic."

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!" Annie screamed.

"Oh, Jeff's just getting a long awaited reunion with dead old dad. He really is something. Too bad you'll never meet him." With that she pulled out the two other viles and smashed them to the ground.

The ground shook as dozens of masses of concrete rose from the ground. The masses grew limbs and a head until they looked like people made of solid concrete. As they attacked the group the air around them shimmered as it seemed to solidify into a dome structure. Annie was thrown to the ground and felt herself being dragged away. She frantically tried to grab onto the ground but wasn't able to hold on. As she passed Pierce she managed to grab onto him. Holding onto him tightly they were both thrown through the solidified air wall.

Annie pulled herself up and frantically pounded on the air wall. But even with her superior strength it wouldn't break. She quickly turned around as Evil Annie laughed at her. "It's just you and me now Honey."

Seething with rage Annie leapt towards Evil Annie, ready to strike. The other woman was ready and met her head on. As they grappled with each other Annie pushed her hard into the air, jumping up to meet her. Pierce watched from the ground with apprehension and aw as both Annies punched and pummeled each other in mid air. He moved out of the way as Evil Annie threw Annie into the ground. As she fell towards her Annie pulled out her sais and managed to stab Evil Annie through the shoulder as she landed on top of her.

Before she could strike again Evil Annie jumped back, screaming as she held her bleeding wound. She raced towards Annie, who grabbed her outstretched arms and threw her back several feet. Evil Annie regained her footing as she hit the ground and waved her hands towards a nearby car, sending it flying towards Pierce. Just before it hit him Annie raced forward and pulled him out of the way, shielding him as it exploded and parts flew all around them. She had just enough time to see into the dome (Shirley kicking the head off of one of the rock men, Troy jumping out of the way as two ran at him and instead caused each other to crumble to bits, Abed using his baton to beat chunks out of one) before she and Pierce rolled out of the way of a barrage of fire balls. Tightly gripping her sais Annie appeared to be a blur as she charged at Evil Annie. But before she could reach her Annie felt herself lifted into the air. As she struggled she cried out as her legs were pulled into an excruciating split. Her eyes widened in horror as her hands tightened around her sais and her arms involuntarily moved until she was pointing her sais in front of her own chest.

"How poetic it would be if you killed yourself. You almost did it once with pills. This would just be finishing the job twelve years later. But while that would be fun to see, **I** have to be the one to kill you." She paused to block the chunks of debris Pierce was throwing at her. She used one hand to make Pierce rigid and unable to move while she formed a massive fireball with her other hand. Evil Annie grinned sadistically as she moved her arm back to throw it at Annie.

Just then a barrage of rapid fire pop blasts were heard, simultaneously followed by Evil Annie being riddled with bullet wounds. She didn't even have time to gasp her final words as she fell to the street. Annie dropped to the ground in a heap, quickly pulling herself up as she saw Evil Annie spit out a mouthful of blood before she died.

Annie looked at Pierce, but he was just as shocked as she was. They looked into the distance as a slender lone figure walked towards them on heavy uneven footsteps. As the person came closer Annie kept telling herself she had to be dreaming, that what she was seeing was too miraculous to be real. But as the person threw their gun down and hugged her Annie finally allowed herself to believe that the impossible was happening right now. "Britta!"

Britta didn't say a word as she held Annie for several moments, not even after Pierce rushed forward and hugged her tightly. Finally she struggled against them as air started to become an issue. "OK, need oxygen." They pulled back from her so she could breathe, but still touched her as if they were afraid she would disappear at any moment.

Annie looked at her in complete wonder. "Britta, how are you…how?"

"Well…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

_Britta struggled to regain control of the car, but the gas pedal and steering wheel weren't being controlled by her. Unable to stop it, the car smashed through the guardrail and bridge and flew headfirst into the water. _

_She tried to unbuckle her seat belt but it was jammed. She pulled out a knife and managed to cut herself free just as the car was completely submerged underwater. _

_As she sat there overtaken in panic she suddenly remembered something she had seen once on television on how to survive if you're trapped in a car under water. Willing herself to become calm she took a deep breath just as the car became completely filled with water. She pushed herself out of the broken window hole and swam to the nearest tire. She unscrewed the cap and inhaled the air in the tire, taking a deep breath. She waited several moments before she took another breath from the tire. She continued to do this until she was certain Evil Annie and anyone else above her were gone. _

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh my god, Britta, you're incredible." Annie gasped as she hugged her friend.

"Way to go Britta. Although truthfully I never took you for someone who liked sticking things in her mouth and sucking, if you know what I mean." Pierce said.

Any other time she would have told Pierce off for that. But instead she just hugged her friend. "I think a part of me actually missed your terrible comments Pierce." She went over to the air dome and pounded on it. "Guys!"

Even through the dome Britta, Annie and Pierce could hear Shirley, Abed and Troy's cried as shock and joy at seeing Britta alive. Her presence seemed to inspire renewed energy as they fought the rock men with enthusiasm. They were destroying them, but more kept rising up to take the place of the fallen.

"Why are they trapped in here?"

"Evil Annie threw some liquid that created the dome and the rock men." Annie said.

"It must be a spell William devised. It won't break unless he lifts it or he's killed." Pierce gravely said

Annie gasped as she heard William's name, remembering what had happened just before the fight. "Jeff! He was teleported to his father."

Just then they heard something ringing on Evil Annie's body. Annie went over to her and found a cell phone in her dress pocket. She opened it and held it to her ear.

"_Is she dead? Did you kill the other Annie?"_

Annie's eyes widened as she looked at Pierce and Britta and mouthed 'it's Jeff's father'. She internally panicked for a moment before an insane idea came to her. "Yes, she's dead." She said, mimicking Evil Annie's contempt filled voice.

The voice on the other end was silent for several moments before it said "_What part of this plan did you come up with?_"

Panic coursed through Annie as she desperately tried to think. Obviously Jeff's father was unsure if she really was Evil Annie and was trying to test her. Desperately Annie tried to think about what Evil Annie could have possibly come up with. She had said she had to be the one to kill Annie. She had been happy to cause pain to all of them. She had been particularly happy when Jeff was sucked…

No, Annie thought as a sense of revelation washed over her. It wasn't Jeff being sucked into the black hole that had made Evil Annie so happy. What had made her happy was that Jeff had thrown himself in front of that glass vile. She had known he would have tried to protect Annie, so she had purposely thrown it at Annie so Jeff would block it and be hit with it instead.

"I came up with throwing the black potion at this dimension's Annie because I knew that her Jeff would throw himself in front of it."

She waited apprehensively for several moments before she heard him sigh in relief. _"Ok then. It is you. Just needed to be sure. You've done well. In spite of your shortcomings you have been a faithful servant. But I have decided that ultimately Jeff will be the one I obtain the dimensional powers from. If you want to see both of their deaths, you better hurry back here." _

Annie turned to Britta and Pierce as she hung up the phone. "Jeff's father has Jeff and he's going to kill him. We have to get to them."

Britta nodded as she realized where they had to be. After they all took one more look at their friends they ran to the nearest car and managed to hotwire it.

"I'll drive." Pierce said as he started getting into the driver's seat.

Britta quickly pulled him out of the seat. "I think it'll be better if I'm driving."

"This is an emergency, not some trip to the mall."

"Oh, so the guy who usually had people drive him everywhere is going to lecture me on driving."

"We're going to my home. Besides, I should drive because…"

"Because what? You're a MAN!"

"There are just certain things men do better than women."

"That is such bullshit. I'll have you know that-."

"GUYS!" They looked over and saw Annie sitting in the driver's seat. "We don't have time for this. Get in."

"Sorry Annie." They both simultaneously said as they got in the car.

They made it to Hawthorne manor in record time. After Pierce opened the gate they ran up to the house. Pierce reached up to open the door, but as soon as his hand got an inch within it he was thrown backwards.

"Pierce, are you all right?" Annie said as she helped him up.

"Something threw me."

Britta tried the door, but was also thrown on her ass before she could touch it. "It's like a force field or something."

Annie tried reaching for the door, and let out a shriek at what happened. Instead of being thrown back her arm went right through it as if it was a hologram.

"Well that's new." Pierce said as Annie pulled her arm back. She tried both arms and they both went right through the door. Pierce and Britta tried to touch it but they were simply thrown back again.

"Guys, what…" Annie said. But as they looked her she knew how this was going to work. She would have to go in alone if she was going to rescue Jeff.

"We'll be right out here." Pierce said. Annie hugged both Britta and Pierce tightly before she took a deep breath and walked right through the door.


	7. Chapter 6

Jeff's focus was so completely on his father that barely noticed that he was tied in a chair. He had imagined several different scenarios of how it would go if he ever did see him again. When he envisioned it in his head he often saw his father as he did as a child; a hulking raging force that towered over everyone. Somehow his vision didn't physically live up to the reality.

Instead he was staring at a man about Pierce's age, but much better preserved. He was about Jeff's height, give or take a couple inches, and while not overweight was bigger than his son was. His silver grey hair was slicked back in the style of an Italian mobster and he had both Jeff's pointy nose and unique forehead.

But what Jeff noticed more were the things he didn't have. While people looked at Jeff and were charmed people who looked at William felt instantly unease. They sensed power, but also a need to use that power to crush others with it. He commanded obedience and had no tolerance for anything less.

William smiled as Jeff stared at him. "You don't have anything to say Jeffrey? I'm sure you've been waiting for this moment for a long time." He sighed impatiently as he paced back and forth. "I'm giving you this moment to say whatever you want. That's more then I would have given any of your other versions. Would you rather I just get it over with and have you killed?"

"Why?"

He stopped pacing, surprised at Jeff's single word question. "Why what?"

"Why did you do all of this? To me, to mom, to those I love. Why?"

He laughed at Jeff's question. "That's what you've been holding in all these years. Why?"

"There's a lot I've been holding in. I just thought I'd start with that."

"Oh Jeffrey, I could ask you the same thing. Like why would you devote your life to running around rooftops saving these useless Cretans? I've watched all seven versions of you, and all were a disappointment in some way shape or form. But you are the biggest mystery. Why would you devote your life to protecting a city of people that hate and mistrust you?"

"You wouldn't understand." Jeff quietly said.

"I don't really care, I'm just curious."

"If you didn't care then why did you ask it then?"

William's jaw clenched at that remark. For a brief moment he longed to smack his son across the face for back talking to him. But he managed to restrain his impulse. "You are such a disappointment. I could have shown you so much. But instead you rank as the biggest disappointment of my life. There was simply no way to fix you. And believe me, I tried."

"Fix me. That's what you call what you did to me! To Mom! All the beatings and physiological torment and all the years you terrorized us! All the damage that was left over after you were gone! YOU HONESTLY THINK IT WAS FOR OUR BENEFIT!"

"When you have an unruly animal you must do what is necessary to break it in, to bend it to your will. But sometimes it is so far gone that nothing can be done to change its weak nature."

Jeff froze, shocked to his very core at what he was hearing. After all this time he had no dilutions on who his father was. He had no expectations that this reunion would be anything but horrible. But this was worse than anything he could have imagined. "People are not play things!"

"That's rather hypocritical for you to say. I've seen how you've treated those who are in your life. You go around with your charm and your good looks and get everyone to fawn all over you. You say a few honeyed words and people do whatever you want them to do. When have you EVER done anything for someone else that wasn't about getting something for yourself? How are you ANY different than I am?"

Jeff was silent for several minutes as the question hung in his head. Just as William started turning away Jeff quietly said. "I grew up."

"What?"

"I grew up. I stopped treating people as if they were playthings and started treating them as if they actually mattered."

"That's what you call it? Letting others walk all over you instead of demanding what belongs to you is your definition of growing up?"

"I call it treating people with a sense of respect. Of realizing the world doesn't revolve around you. Of trying to do some good while we are here."

"And who taught you that? That bitch?" William shook his head in disgust. "The fact that you would actually listen to her shows how diluted you actually are. I know that's her influence, this so called notion of 'good' you carry with you. Well I'm here to tell you that those are just words. 'Good' and 'bad' are just words people use to try to make themselves feel better about what they can't understand. The only thing in this or any other world that matters is power, and having the foresight to use it for your own advantage. You should have realized that. There was even a time I thought I was wrong about you and that you might have had a chance at figuring it out. But instead you let that tiny mental parasite infect you with her archaic notions."

William shuttered as he felt his body begin to spasm. His body tensed up as he willed himself to control the power within him. After a few moments he let out the breath he was holding as his body relaxed. Jeff looked on, noticing the discomfort his father had just experienced. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing in life is free or completely without consequences."

"Obviously. You lost a son and a wife because of your ambition."

"Don't think you can delude me into having any repressed 'feelings' for what you two were to me Jeffrey. The only reason I was ever with your mother was because I desired an heir. And then you came along, and were nothing but a disappointment from the start. And no matter what happened, no matter what brief hopes I had for you, you never became the person I hoped you would be. You're nothing like me."

"That may be the nicest thing I've ever been told." Jeff said with equal parts sarcasm and truthfulness.

William scoffed and started walking away. But after a moment he turned around and walked over to Jeff. "What it is about her?" As Jeff looked at his father he realized that he truly wanted an answer to a question he could not understand. "What is it about that woman? In every reality she had some sort of hold over you. She's the one you fall in love with, or she's the reason you fall in love with someone else, or she's the one you pine over for years. Even your so called 'evil' version was bound to her in hatred. Why does that infuriating midget hold such power over you?"

Jeff smirked as the answer came to him easily. "Have you ever met her?"

"Yes, you arrogant brat. I've met her. And all I can see is a weak willed, easily manipulative, insecure shell of a person. The only 'special' thing about her is how pathetic she really is. Tell me this then. If she's so special then why did a version of her agree to work for me?" William smiled evilly as a sudden memory came to him. "Or why did she become addicted to pills if she's so 'strong'?"

"You don't know anything about her."

"Oh no. How did she get those pills in the first place?" He chuckled as Jeff looked at him disbelievingly. "I know firsthand how weak your wife is because I was the one who prescribed her the pills in the first place."

Jeff's eyes widened in shock. "No."

"Oh yes Jeffrey." William waved his hand in front of his face and it became the face of the doctor Annie had seen years ago. "She went to the doctors complaining about stomach pains and stress. And I wrote her a prescription and told her it would make everything all better. She ate it up as if I was her savior."

"How…why…" Jeff stammered.

"You want to know why Jeffrey. Because you seven needed to meet in order for that dimensional dice to be used. So I stepped in each of your lives to tweak fate for it to happen. You think Allen Connor was the sole reason you were fired from your law firm? He may have written that e-mail, but it never would have happened if I hadn't talked him into doing it." He waved his hand in front of his face to become Troy's football couch. "I pushed Troy Barnes until football was too much for him and he purposely hurt himself. I convinced Shirley Bennett's husband Andre that he should cheat if he was unhappy with his marriage. I talked both Pierce Hawthorne and Britta Perry into going back to school. And as for Abed Nadir, he would never even have heard about a 'study' group if I hadn't told him about it."

William shook his head as his face returned to normal, smiling a shark smile. "You said before that people aren't play things. If that were true then explain how I was able to manipulate the lives of so many people. Everything you have ever gotten, all of this happiness and self worth you have, it's all from me. You entire life is a result of my doing Jeffrey. I have controlled everything about you."

"If that were true then how come I couldn't be the son you wanted?" Jeff snarkily responded.

William looked pensively at Jeff as he thought over the question. "There's always the unforeseen element that can't be controlled no matter what. But luckily in death you will finally find some usefulness to me. JEFFREY! GET IN HERE!"

The door opened as Evil Jeff walked into the room. "What the hell do you…" He stopped as he looked at Jeff. "He's here. You've had him here this whole time?"

"I was just giving him a few last moments. But like everything he's done he's wasted them. Now, if you will do the honors."

Evil Jeff glared at William, longing to slowly strangle him until he suffocated. But he would wait until he became truly invincible. He walked in front of Jeff and pulled out a knife. As he held it to Jeff's throat he suddenly froze as his eyes looked around the room. "We're not alone."

Barely a moment passed before a blur zoomed in and kicked Evil Jeff across the room. Jeff gasped as Annie grabbed Jeff's restraints. As she ripped the robes from his body William concentrated and made himself become invisible. He slid into the background as he prepared to watch how this all unfolded.

Annie was just able to free Jeff when she was tackled by Evil Jeff. He grabbed her throat with his human hand as she struggled to pry his fingers off him. As Jeff grabbed at him Evil Jeff reached over with his robotic arm. But the arm smoked and sparked, shaking from the damaged it had endured in the earlier fight. As Evil Jeff tried to move the metal arm it completely shut down, becoming dead and useless. Jeff grabbed Evil Jeff's human fingers and both he and Annie managed to pry him off her. Before he could recover Jeff grabbed Evil Jeff's robotic arm and kicked him back several feet.

Jeff reached down and picked up the knife that was lying on the ground. As he charged forward Evil Jeff tried to move out of the way. But his legs were stuck to the ground. He had just enough time to realize that William was using the same frozen spell he had earlier used on him before Jeff stabbed him in the chest. Evil Jeff screamed out a gurgled yell before he died.

Immediately Evil Jeff's body turned into yellow light and flooded into Jeff. Jeff fell to his knees as his body shook and glowed. He remained there for several moments, even after his body stopped glowing. He looked up as Annie went over and knelt beside him. As he looked at her he could hear her voice, even though her lips weren't moving. ::Oh god ,are you all right. What happened? Did you get the powers? Are you like me now? Does that mean I can't hurt you? I'm so going to fuck you brains out tonight. Wait, can you hear my thoughts now? Did you just hear that?::

Just then Jeff cried out as he was racked with pain and his body glowed. The air shimmered and William appeared beside him, gripping onto his shoulder. A hollow rushing sound was heard as the glow in Jeff's body appeared to move out of him and into William's body. Jeff twisted and shook as his body stopped glowing and he fell to the ground.

"JEFF!" Annie yelled. As she reached out to him William kicked her under her chin, causing her to fly across the room. She pulled herself up as William laughed maddeningly. "Yes, YES! I did it. After all this time, I FINALLY DID IT!"

"Hey!" William looked into Annie's eyes and instantly froze as the Hawthorne stare took effect. As soon as he froze Annie gasped as her body glowed with yellow light. She shook her head as William regained his senses. He sighed as he held out his hand and instantly conjured up a broad sword. "I could crush you in an instant now. But I want you to suffer." Letting out a cry of rage he ran over and thrust the sword at her chest.

They both looked on in amazement as the sword shattered like glass the instant it touched her. He conjured a fireball and threw it at Annie, but it didn't burn her in the slightest. As they looked at each other they both realized that she now had all six powers also.

Annie punched him in the face, sending him flying backwards. He regained his footing and formed a ball of energy, throwing it at Annie. Annie dove out of the way; yelling out at it hit and burned her shoulder. "You may be immune to most physical attacks. But magic can still hurt you." Annie quickly ran as fast as a blur as William threw a barrage of energy balls at her. As she ran she felt her hands grow hot as fire formed above her palms. Annie quickly stopped and threw the fire balls at William, which ran off him as if he was scotch guarded. She ran up and jumped onto William, punching his face as hard as she could. William grabbed her shoulders, causing her to cry out as he squeezed her injured shoulder.

"You might want to attend to young Jeffrey, since he's about to leave this world."

As William threw Annie off of him she looked at Jeff, seeing him lying at the floor unmoving. As William charged at her Annie felt her legs ignite in flame as she kicked William as hard as she could, while simultaneously mentally moving him backwards and blocking out all thought from his mind. William flew through the air and crashed through the wall, where he disappeared from sight.

Annie fells to the ground as she held onto Jeff. "Jeff, Jeff." His eyes opened slightly at the sound of her voice, but he was too weak to respond. He tried grabbing her hand but it fell from the effort. Annie shook as she held him, feeling the life drain from Jeff's body. "No! No, don't do this. You can't leave me. Not now. Jeff, please…." She looked to the sky, pleading for something to save him, like she had once been…

She froze as she remembered what Pierce had told her the other night. _The Hawthorne stare only allows you to copy other powers. To heal from injuries you would have to fully take in a power level…. It was never intended to pass powers to others. But maybe, with enough will and determination… _"Jeff, look at me! LOOK AT ME!" As he looked at her his body instantly froze as the stare took effect. Annie stared deep into his eyes, concentrated more intently then she had ever concentrated before. Take it all, she thought. Take everything from me, just save him. Pressure formed in her head but she ignored it out as she concentrated even harder. The pain continued to build as blood started dripping from her nose. But Annie ignored it as she pushed herself even harder.

Just as she felt like her head was going to explode she gasped as both she and Jeff glowed brightly with golden light. She was thrown back from him and landed on the floor a few feet away. She pushed herself to her knees and wiped the blood from her nose, crying out as she realized her hand was on fire. She looked at Jeff and crawled over to him.

"JEFF!"

She cried out in relief as Jeff's eyes opened. As he sat up she wrapped her arms tightly around him. As soon as they touched they both glowed with the same yellow light that formed when someone takes in a dimensional power. As they separated she looked at her shoulder and saw that it was completely healed. And even though she couldn't see her face she knew that her nose and upper lip had also healed.

They both flinched as a hole was smashed in the wall, following by William stepping back into the room. "You fucking cunt." As Jeff started yelling at William for his insult he threw an energy ball at Annie. As Annie cried out and started to disintegrate Jeff instinctively grabbed hold of her. As soon as they touched they both glowed with yellow light and Annie's injuries completely healed. They looked at William, who was just as shocked as they were. "Well this is unexpected." William mentally threw several bottles of alcohol at Jeff and Annie, which bounced off both of them without harm. They separated as one last bottle hit Jeff in the head. Jeff yelled out as his head started bleeding. As Annie touched him they were again bathed in yellow light and Jeff's head wound healed. Though they didn't understand why, they realized that physically touching each other not only healed their injuries, but caused both of them to have all six dimensional powers.

Jeff and Annie both stood up as they looked at William smiling back at them. Jeff held his hand out and locked his fingers with Annie's. "Don't let go of me." They both ran up and kicked at William; only to fly threw him as if he were a ghost. The ghostlike image disappeared and the real William jumped out of the hole, wielding two blue light glowing swords that seemed to be made of bone. He swung them at Jeff, who blocked them with his arm. Jeff yelled out as they left deep gashes in his arm. Thinking fast Annie quickly let go of Jeff and then grabbed hold of him again, where they both glowed and Jeff's injuries healed. Jeff grabbed both of Annie's arms and swung her at William, where she kicked him hard in the chest and stomach. William fell backwards as he dropped both of his bone swords, which disintegrated as soon as they left his hands.

Still holding onto Annie Jeff punched his father. Years of pain and anger came roaring out as he repeatedly punched him with his right hand. William staggered back from the impact of the blows, feeling his body beginning to grow hot. As he tried to block his son's blows Annie began punching and kicking him also. The two of them pummeled the sadistic sorcerer repeatedly, showing no sign of fatigue or mercy.

Just then they stopped as William's body became as hot as an oven. As they stepped back William looked at himself, seeing that he was glowing with a bright black light. "What's happening to me?" Suddenly he shook as his body was flooded with pain. He hugged himself as he tried to control the pain, but this time it continued to build with intensity. "NO!" He yelled as he grew brighter and brighter. "I CAN CONTROL IT. I CAN CONTROL IT. I AM A GOD. I AM A-!"

Annie and Jeff hugged each other tightly as William exploded, his body disintegrating instantly. The black energy expanded in every direction, washing over Jeff and Annie and completely consuming the entire mansion. Then as suddenly as it occurred the energy retracted back inward, repairing everything it had just destroyed.

Annie and Jeff separated, checking to see that they were all right. Seeing that they were they hugged each other as tightly as they could, knowing that they wouldn't crush either of them. After several moments they separated and went over to where William Winger had stood. There were no remains of him at all. The only thing that was left was Osbourne's book, which was completely burned and charred black. As Annie touched it the book completely fell apart into ash.

Jeff dropped to his knees, taking in deep breaths. He wasn't exactly upset, just extremely overwhelmed by everything. He felt himself glow as Annie knelt down and placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked into her eyes. Those big blue eyes that knew him better than anyone else, sometimes better then he even knew himself.

"Jeff, are you ok?"

He knew she wasn't talking about his physical wellbeing. "Yes. No. I don't know. How's that for an answer."

As they looked at each other they felt their desire for one another rise up within them. Not able to stand it anymore they embraced, furiously kissing as if they were both starving. He tore her mask off as she quickly unzipped his costume, showing only enough restraint so she didn't rip the zipper clean off.

"You guys!"

Jeff paused from unzipping Annie's costume as they both looked up at Britta and Pierce. "Perfect timing Britta." Jeff sarcastically said.

Britta nervously giggled. "The um, the house blew up and then it repaired itself. What happened here?"

"We'll tell you. But we're gathering everyone first, because we only want to say it once."

"Oh, because you two want to have loud x-rated sex, right?" Pierce said with an obnoxious grin.

Annie looked away as she blushed with embarrassment as Jeff simply rolled his eyes at Pierce.


	8. Epilogue

Pierce sighed with content as he poured himself another glass of bourbon from his secret stash William hadn't found. "Feels good to have the place back again." He frowned as he brought the glass to his lips. "Of course, I doubt I'll be able to use the 'love dudgeon' anymore. Not after being trapped there for all that time. Such a shame really. In the seventies I used to throw S&M parties and we'd-."

"PLEASE don't finish that sentence Pierce." Shirley shrieked. She (along with everyone else) shuttered at the thought of the uses Pierce had had for his infamous 'love dudgeon'.

"Fine, I won't tell you. But you're missing out on some great stories." Pierce said as he sat down on the couch next to Abed.

"I'm sure we'll be able to live without it." Britta said as she continued to absentmindedly run her fingers through Troy's hair.

"So, are you two now…" Pierce waved his free hand towards Troy and Britta. "Because you sitting there in his lap reminds me of being with my fourth wife."

They both looked at Pierce, nervously avoiding his question. Truthfully they hadn't really discussed anything after Britta's return. But their touchy feely actions (and the knowing looks Abed kept shooting their way) seemed to prove that things were definitely heading in a relationship like direction.

"I wish I could have seen William get his. He kept me locked away for two years and I didn't even get to see his demise."

"Well at least he's gone Pierce. Him and all our evil counterparts. All that really matters is that it's over." Shirley said.

"Yea, but it would have been so cool to have seen that fight." Troy said. "Don't get me wrong, our fight was pretty great. But Jeff and Annie both had super powers, and fought someone with even more super powers. That's like, a whole mess of powers being thrown around. I'm still not sure why they both have all six powers now."

"I can explain." Abed said. "From what they said first Annie got all six powers when she used the Hawthorne stare on William. She then gave Jeff some of her powers to heal him, causing them both to separately be at level three power level. But whenever they are physically touching they now both have all six powers."

"That still seems odd. I'll have to ask them more about it next time we see them."

"Something tells me we're not going to be seeing either of them for quite some time." Britta said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie gasped for breath as she lay on the floor completely covered in sweat. She was thirsty and wanted some water, but could barely move after their acrobatics over the last several hours. "Shirley was right." she softly said with a big grin.

"What was that?" A equally spent Jeff muttered.

"Nothing."

Jeff pulled Annie until she was half lying on top of him, intertwining one of his long legs with one of her shorter ones. He glanced around the room. "I think we might need a new bed."

"I think we might need a new apartment. Or at least a new bedroom."

The bedroom was in complete shambles. The bed was gone. And that was in the most literal sense. Any part that hadn't been ripped apart or crushed had been burned to ash. Various pieces of furniture had been smashed and destroyed, from the vanity mirror and bookshelf to the dressers and end tables. There were deep fingernail gouge marks all over the floor, several large holes in the walls, and the windows had cracked due to Annie's loud and boisterous screaming.

Jeff shrugged as he kissed her forehead. "Well, we were thinking about moving before all of this happened. Of course, if tonight is any indicator of the future, we might need to get a bed and furniture made out of adamantium."

Annie giggled as she glanced down at scar above her ribs. "I was kind of hoping this whole us touching healing thing would have gotten rid of my scars."

Jeff traced his hand downward and gently rubbed the one over her ribs that she got from battling Rich, before moving upward and gently rubbing the scar above her right breast from when she captured El Tigre, and then moving his fingers down her arm until they rested above the scar Abed gave her on her hand to distinguish each other from their evil versions. "I like them. They're just another part of who you are. And they're proof of all the amazing things you've done."

"I thought women were the ones who were attracted to guys with scars, not the other way around." She said as she traced her fingers over Jeff's own hand scar.

"I think it's been extensively proven there isn't much about you I'm not attracted to."

They lay there on the floor, just basking in the comfort of finally being with each other again. After several minutes Jeff cleared his throat. "So, you think you can do this for eternity? Because after what Abed Five said about us not aging, and now with us having these powers, we could be looking at a very long life together."

Annie's eyes widened as she remembered being told that she was essentially ageless. She smiled as she thought about being with Jeff, and how the happiness she felt tonight would stay with her forever.

"I wouldn't want to spend eternity with anyone else. I love you Jeff."

"I love you too Annie."

**The End**


End file.
